6.3   Zq. 
LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 

PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


Presented  by 


mr3.(S),a.d\x\\3. 


BV  4253  .H54  1918 
Hills,  0.  A.  1837-1919. 
Familiar  talks  on  sermon 
building 


FAMILIAR  TALKS 

on 

SERMON  BUILDING 


FAMILIAR  TALKS 

on 

SERMON   BUILDING 


BY 

Rev.  OSCAR  A.  HILLS,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Pastor- Emeritus  of  the   Westminster  Chiirch, 
College  of  Wooster,    Wooster,  Ohio 

Author  of  ^' Companion  Characters"     '*  Carmina  Subseciva, 

"New  Shafts  in  the  Old  Mine,"  and  "The 

Testimony  of  the  Witnesses" 


New  York  Chicago 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London       and       Edinburgh 


Copyright,  191 8,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:      75     Princes    Street 


TO  THE 

President  of  the  Lane  Theological  Seminary 

On  Whose  Invitation  these  Familiar  Talks 

WERE  Originally  Given  to  the  Theologues  of  Lane 

AND  AT  Whose  Request  they  have  been 

"  Committed  to  the  Custody  of  the  Types  " 

This  Booklet  is  Respectfully 

DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

I.  Introductory. — Some  Character- 
istics OF  A  Good  Sermon 

II.  Choosing  a  Text  and  Theme    . 

III.  Getting  Something  to  Say  .     . 

IV.  Arranging  Our  Material     .     . 
V.  The  Beginning  and  the  Ending 

VI.  The  Expository  Sermon  .     .     . 

VII.  Biographical  Preaching  .     .     . 

VIII.  Spiritual  Power 


II 

20 

31 
40 

52 
61 
6S 
74 


FOREWORD 

THESE  Familiar  Talks  on  Sermon  Building 
make  no  pretension  to  a  complete  treatise 
in  Homiletics.  Their  original  delivery 
served  to  supplement  the  instruction  of  over- 
worked teachers  of  sermon  making ;  and  their 
preparation  for  the  press  was  the  work  of  a 
quiet  winter  at  four  score  in  beautiful  Pasadena, 
California. 

For  the  bones  and  some  of  the  flesh  of  four 
of  these  Familiar  Talks  on  Sermon  Building  I  am 
indebted  to  my  manuscript  notes  of  Dr.  William 
M.  Paxton's  Lectures  on  Sacred  Rhetoric  in  the 
Western  Theological  Seminary.  They  were  given 
to  the  students  of  a  past  generation  more  than 
fifty  years  ago.  But  they  are  wonderfully  up  to 
date,  and  have  been  of  immense  value  to  me 
throughout  my  entire  ministry.  And  they  are  more 
highly  prized  that  the  lectures  themselves  have 
never  been  published.  For  certain  reasons  I  have 
had  occasion  to  examine  a  number  of  volumes  on 
homiletics,  but  have  never  found  anything  of  so 
much  practical  value,  especially  in  the  business  of 
making  sermons,  as  these  notes  of  the  Seminary 

9 


lo  FOREWORD 

Class-room  in  the  early  sixties.  Relief  for  myself 
and  help  for  my  readers  will  explain  and  justify 
this  drawing  on  forgotten  stores. 

O.  A.  H. 

WoosTER,  Ohio. 


INTRODUCTORY 

SOME    CHARACTERISTICS    OF   A   GOOD 
SERMON 

THE  sermon  is  a  distinctive  feature  of  our 
Presbyterian  order  of  worship.  Some 
other  Churches,  notably  the  Episcopal, 
make  much  of  the  Service;  and  their  Prayer-Book 
is  almost  as  dear  to  them  as  the  Bible.  Among 
many  of  our  own  Churches  there  is  a  growing 
taste  for  a  so-called  "enrichment"  of  our  public 
worship;  and  so  we  have  come  to  have  responsive 
readings,  the  Lord's  prayer  in  unison  by  the 
people,  the  anthem  and  responses  by  the  choir,  the 
seven-fold  amen,  and  the  organ  prelude  and  post- 
lude,  and  divers  and  sundry  other  features  more 
or  less  elaborate. 

I  confess  to  some  sympathy  with  this  desire 
and  purpose  to  make  the  worshiper  more  than  a 
mere  hearer,  but  am  afraid  this  tendency  may  be 
carried  too  far.  Nothing  can  ever  take  the  place 
of  the  sermon.  It  can  never  wisely  be  shunted 
off  to  a  corner.  It  is  the  sermon  that  opens  our 
pulpits  to  our  ministers,  and  leads  to  their  settle- 

II 


la  SERMON  BUILDING 

ment  as  pastors;  and  if  they  are  failures  in  the 
pulpit,  they  might  as  well  step  down  and  out. 
Sooner  or  later  they  will  have  to  go.  We  rejoice 
in  this  prominence  of  the  sermon.  It  is  the  dis- 
tinguishing mark  of  an  evangelizing  Church.  She 
thus  fulfills  her  great  commission — ^preaching  the 
Gospel  and  teaching  all  nations. 

To  learn  how  to  make  a  sermon,  therefore,  is 
a  great  business.  There  is  hardly  anything  more 
important  in  the  entire  curriculum  of  the  Seminary. 
It  will  be  a  fitting  introduction  to  what  I  shall 
have  to  say  on  this  subject  to  consider  at  this  time, 

SOME  OF  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  A  GOOD  SERMON 

As  preliminary  to  its  consideration,  let  me  em- 
phasize just  here  these  two  statements,  viz.:  i. 
The  building  of  a  sermon  is  hard  work.  If  you 
have  any  idea  that  when  you  get  through  the 
Seminary  you  will  have  nothing  to  do  but  stand 
in  the  pulpit  and  open  your  mouth,  and  the  Lord 
will  fill  it,  you  are  going  to  get  left.  There  were 
certain  circumstances  in  which  the  Lord  promised 
special  help  in  unpremeditated  utterance;  but 
preaching  a  sermon  was  not  one  of  them. 

2.  The  building  of  a  sermon  is  a  purely  mechan- 
ical process.  As  the  architect  and  builder  con- 
ceives the  plan  of  a  house,  and  straightway  pro- 
ceeds to  the  construction  of  it  in  every  detail 
according  to  the  plan,  so  the  preacher  invents  a 


INTRODUCTORY  13 

scheme  of  thought,  and,  if  it  amounts  to  anything, 
will  immediately  proceed  to  carry  it  out  in  every 
particular  with  vast  labor  and  diligence. 

What  then  constitutes  a  good  sermon?  Of 
course,  I  am  taking  it  for  granted  that  the  sermon 
is  true  and  orthodox.  If  it  does  not  possess  these 
features  it  is  a  poor  sermon,  no  matter  what  other 
good  features  may  characterize  it.  With  this  un- 
derstanding, will  you  be  surprised  if  I  say, 


I.     A  GOOD  SERMON   MUST   BE  INTERESTING 

You  are  the  messengers  of  the  King.  You  are 
entrusted  with  a  message  from  the  Throne.  What 
does  your  legation  amount  to,  if  that  message  does 
not  win  the  attention  of  those  to  whom  you  are 
sent  ?  You  are  bound  to  get  a  hearing.  Your  mes- 
sage must  be  couched  in  such  terms  as  will  arrest 
the  attention,  and  hold  the  interest  of  your  people. 

Let  me  just  here  warn  you  against  some  meretri- 
cious ways  of  making  a  sermon  interesting.  They 
are  such  as  these,  viz.:  i.  The  selection  of  catchy 
themes.  2.  The  use  of  high-flown  oratory.  3.  The 
excessive  use  of  illustrations. 

Set  over  against  these  there  are  legitimate  ways 
of  securing  an  interested  attention.  Such  are  these, 
viz.:  The  use  of  i.  Timely  topics.  2.  Clarity  of 
thought.  3.  Brevity  of  expression.  4.  Simplicity 
of  diction. 


14  SERMON  BUILDING 

II.    A  GOOD  SERMON  MUST  BE  INSTRUCTIVE 

On  this  topic  let  me  emphasize  the  following 
points,  viz. :  i.  The  teaching  function  of  the  pulpit 
is  of  immense  moment — as  much  so  as  ever  in  the 
history  of  the  Church.  2.  The  minister  who  wears, 
and  year  after  year  abides  in  his  place,  with  ever 
growing  influence  and  power,  is  the  man  who  gives 
his  people  something  to  think  about.  3.  Preaching 
in  times  of  revival  especially  must  be  instructive. 
Mere  hortatory  preaching  at  such  times  will  not 
answer.  The  ephemeral  character  and  influence 
of  many  seasons  of  gracious  visitation  are  due 
largely  to  this  kind  of  preaching.  When  the  Spirit 
of  God  is  stirring  men  to  thoughtfulness,  then  is 
pre-eminently  the  time  to  give  them  something  to 
think  about.  The  most  fruitful  sermons  at  such 
times  will  have  to  do  with  the  fundamentals — the 
holiness  of  God — the  Divinity  of  Christ — the  law 
of  God — the  nature  and  demerit  of  sin — the  nature 
and  need  of  the  atonement — justification — Sancti- 
fication — faith — and  repentance.  These  are  stal- 
wart themes;  but  when  presented  to  men,  when 
their  hearts  are  softened  and  quickened  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  they  will  make  stalwart  believers. 

III.    A  GOOD  SERMON  MUST  BE  CUMULATIVE  IN  ITS 
UNFOLDING  OF  THE  TRUTH 

In  other  words,  a  good  sermon  must  grow.    The 
author  of  a  good  and  important  magazine  article, 


INTRODUCTORY  15 

to  be  read,  and  possibly  re-read,  will  wisely  group 
his  strongest  points  at  the  forefront,  and  later  will 
gather  subsidiary  considerations,  and  pile  them 
around  the  bulwarks  which  he  has  already  built  up. 

The  builder  of  a  sermon  will,  for  the  most  part, 
do  exactly  the  opposite.  The  most  effective  sermon 
will  begin  with  less  important  points,  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  increasingly  strong  and  impressive  con- 
siderations. And,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  the 
hearer,  whose  attention  has  been  arrested  at  the 
start,  will  follow  the  speaker  with  growing  interest, 
as  he  rises  from  point  to  point  to  an  ever  higher 
point,  and  comes  at  last  to  a  cHmax  of  overwhelm- 
ing demonstration! 

For  the  failure  to  observe  this  principle,  many  a 
sermon,  evincing  the  profoundest  ability,  and  pos- 
sessing elements  of  colossal  power  over  an  audi- 
ence, dwindles  away  to  an  utter  insignificance. 

IV.    A  GOOD  SERMON  WILL  BE  MARKED  BY 
A   DIVINE    UNCTION 

"How  did  you  like  that  sermon?"  I  said  to  a 
friend,  as  we  left  the  Church.  "Well,  it  was  a 
good  sermon."  "But  your  tone  implies  that  you 
were  not  quite  pleased  with  it."  "Well,  it  was  a 
very  good  sermon — well  constructed,  orthodox  in 
sentiment,  and  logical  in  arrangement,  and  it  grew 
to  a  fitting  climax.  Yes,  I  must  say  it  was  quite 
above  the  average  pulpit  discourse."    "But  still,  my 


i6  SERMON  BUILDING 

friend,  you  were  evidently  not  satisfied  with  it. 
What  was  wrong?  Now,  be  honest,  and  tell  me 
frankly  what  in  your  judgment  was  wanting.'* 
*'Well,  I  will,  though,  as  you  know,  I  do  not  allow 
myself  to  indulge  in  criticism  of  my  brethren. 
There  was  one  serious  defect  in  our  brother's 
sermon.  I  never  heard  him  preach  a  sermon  that 
did  not  show  the  same  defect.  There  was  a  total 
lack  of  that  Divine  quality  which  I  call  Unction. 
That  man's  preaching  never  touches  me.  I  hear 
him  with  interest.  I  admire  the  skill  with  which 
he  frames  his  discourses.  With  great  intellectual 
delight  I  follow  him  as  he  marches  on  from  point 
to  point;  but  all  the  time  my  heart  is  unmoved. 
His  preaching  is  as  clear  and  cold  as  an  icicle ;  and 
I  go  away  from  Church  crying  out  of  the  depths 
of  my  heart,  'Oh!  if  he  only  had  an  unction  from 
the  Holy  One.'  I  guess  that  man  has  never  had 
any  affliction." 

I  think  my  friend  was  right,  my  brethren.  This 
crowning  quality  of  a  good  sermon  is  one  you  can- 
not learn  in  the  Seminary.  In  the  chamber  of 
sickness,  or  by  the  bedside  where  your  loved  one 
is  slipping  away  from  you,  you  may  get  that  tender- 
ness of  heart  and  that  mellowness  of  tone  that 
will  carry  your  message  to  the  hearts  of  those  you 
desire  to  reach.  Under  the  sweet  pervasiveness  of 
this  heavenly  unction  solemnity  and  yearning  will 
mark  your  countenance,  and  something  of  Divine 
Love  will  possess  your  whole  nature. 


INTRODUCTORY  17 

Dr.  John  M.  Worrall,  of  blessed  memory,  for 
more  than  twenty  years  the  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  of  Covington,  was  the  best  pastor-evan- 
gehst  I  ever  knew.  Many  blessed  seasons  of  co- 
working  in  special  services  we  had  in  the  long-gone 
years.  He  had  this  quality  of  which  I  am  speaking 
in  a  marked  degree ;  and  it  became  specially  mani- 
fest in  seasons  of  revival.  At  such  times  his  face 
would  lighten  with  a  heavenly  radiance,  and  his 
voice  would  sound  as  if  his  heartstrings  were  being 
touched  by  the  fingers  of  the  pleading  angel.  I 
learned  much  from  him,  and  I  needed  to.  My 
thin  visage  seemed  to  proclaim  an  austere  spirit, 
and  my  most  earnest  tones  often  rose  to  a  terrible 
roar. 

A  good  lady  of  his  congregation  helped  me 
greatly,  and  the  story  of  her  words,  at  my  expense, 
may  be  helpful  to  you.  I  went  over  one  evening 
to  begin  a  series  of  meetings  in  the  First  Church. 
I  reached  the  lecture-room  a  little  early,  and  took 
a  seat  in  the  rear  of  the  room,  awaiting  the  pastor's 
coming.  Two  ladies  sat  in  front  of  me.  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  hearing  what  they  were  saying; 
but  I  paid  no  attention  to  their  conversation,  till 
suddenly  my  ear  caught  the  question,  "Do  you 
know  the  preacher  of  this  evening?"  Of  course,  I 
was  alert  to  hear  the  answer,  "No,  I  don't  know 
anything  about  him;  but  I  have  been  told — and 
here  she  turned  a  little  closer  to  her  friend — that 
he  just  enjoys  a  funeral." 


i8  SERMON  BUILDING 

You  better  believe  I  did  not  put  on  a  long  face 
in  that  service !  I  met  the  lady  at  the  close  of  the 
meeting,  but  never  let  on — nor  did  she!  I  think 
she  changed  her  mind  about  the  preacher  before 
that  series  of  services  came  to  an  end;  and  the 
preacher  learned  that  solemnity  was  not  austerity, 
nor  was  it  wise  for  a  minister  to  show  in  his  coun- 
tenance all  the  woes  by  which  sometimes  his  heart 
is  weighed  down. 

This  Divine  Unction,  brethren,  you  will  find  you 
need  more  that  any  other  one  thing — and  especially 
if  you  mean  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Oh  you  can 
preach  ethics  and  reforms,  and  such  like  topics, 
without  it,  but  not  the  blessed  Evangel.  How  will 
you  get  it?  Let  me  close  these  remarks  with  a 
few  briefly  worded  suggestions : 

1.  Make  your  preaching  distinctly  evan- 
gelistic. Woe  worth  the  day  when  the 
pastors  of  our  Churches  relegate  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the  peripa- 
tetic tabernacle  evangelists. 

2.  Seek  an  ever  deepening  sense  of  your 
personal  unworthiness  as  a  messenger 
of  grace. 

3.  Keep  ever  before  you  a  vivid  concep- 
tion of  the  lost  estate  of  the  unbelieving 
and  impenitent. 

4.  Enter  ever  more  and  more  thoroughly 
into  the  boundless  compassion  of  the 
Lord  Jesus. 


INTRODUCTORY  19 

5.  Cultivate  the  pleading,  persuasive  tones 
of  the  human  voice. 

6.  Whenever  and  wherever  you  preach  a 
sermon,  as  the  dying  mother,  in  Mac- 
laren's  "Beside  the  Bonnie  Briar 
Bush,'*  besought  her  beloved  son, 
"Speak  a  gude  word  for  Jesus  Christ, 
Laddie." 


II 

CHOOSING  A  TEXT  AND  THEME 

BEFORE  taking  up  this  topic  several  pre- 
liminary questions  need  to  be  answered. 
I.  Why  choose  a  text  at  all?  No  other 
form  of  public  discourse  has  such  a  prefix;  why 
should  the  sermon  have  it?  Voltaire,  as  quoted 
by  Vinet,  says  "It  were  to  be  wished  that  Bourda- 
loue,  in  banishing  from  the  pulpit  the  bad  taste 
which  debased  it,  had  banished  from  it  also  this 
custom  of  preaching  from  a  text.  Indeed  to  speak 
long  upon  a  quotation  of  a  line  or  two — to  labor  to 
bring  his  whole  discourse  to  bear  upon  this  line — 
such  a  labor  appears  trifling,  little  worthy  the  dig- 
nity of  the  ministry." 

Of  course,  the  inspiration  of  the  text  was  noth- 
ing to  Voltaire,  nor  the  fact  that  that  "line  or  two'' 
might  have  a  message  of  infinite  moment.  But  this 
fact  of  its  infinitely  weighty  character  is  abundant 
justification  of  the  custom  of  preaching  from  texts. 
The  text  is  God's  message;  and  the  preacher  is 
God's  messenger. 

2.  Should  the  text,  or  the  theme,  be  chosen  first? 
Ordinarily,  I  should  say  the  text.    Sometimes,  in- 

20 


CHOOSING  A  TEXT  AND  THEME     21 

deed,  the  subject  may  be  chosen  first,  and  the  text 
selected  afterward — as,  for  example,  when  public 
opinion  is  centered  upon  some  great  subject,  or 
some  prevailing  evil  has  gripped  the  community,  or 
some  kind  of  reform  is  sweeping  over  the  state. 
For  the  most  part,  however,  you  are  to  preach 
God's  message,  and  that  message  is  ordinarily  in 
the  text. 

This  choice  of  the  text  is  one  of  the  minister's 
difficult — perhaps  most  difficult,  duties.  There  are 
several  reasons  why  this  is  so,  viz.:  (i)  Because 
of  the  minister's  ignorance  of  his  people's  spiritual 
state.  The  text  is  God's  truth;  but  just  now  it 
does  not  fit.  (2)  Because  of  the  minister's  want 
of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  That  Bible 
is  full  of  messages  marvelously  adapted  to  every 
congregation ;  but  because  the  minister  cannot  find 
them,  he  cannot  say,  "I  have  a  message  from  God 
to  thee."  (3)  Because  of  that  mental  vacillation 
which  keeps  one  tossing  from  one  text  to  another, 
from  the  beginning  of  the  week  to  the  very  end 
of  it. 

I  may  therefore  just  here  fittingly  call  your  at- 
tention to  some  directions  for 


CHOOSING  A  TEXT  OR  THEME 

I.  Cultivate  the  habit  of  making  a  note  of  texts, 
seed-thoughts,  apposite  illustrations,  and  interest- 
ing expositions.    Hawthorne's  "American  Notes" 


22  SERMON  BUILDING 

is  a  good  illustration  of  the  kind  of  a  book  a 
minister  ought  to  carry.  The  late  President 
Scovel's  habit  of  never  going  to  bed  without  first 
outlining  a  sermon  was  a  good  one,  but  might  be 
improved.  Such  work  were  better  done  in  the 
early  morning  hours.  You  could  profitably  do 
this  while  dressing — provided  you  had  no  wife  to 
talk  to  you,  and  keep  your  thoughts  down  to 
sublunary  things. 

II.  Get  your  texts  from  God.  Ask  Him  for  the 
message  which  He  would  have  you  bring  to  your 
people,  in  special,  humble  and  confiding  prayer. 

Our  own  spiritual  state  is  a  factor  of  vast  im- 
portance in  getting  messages  from  our  Divine 
Lord. 

We  cannot  hope  to  be  His  fitting  mouth-piece 
to  our  people,  if  we  are  not  living  in  closest  and 
most  sympathetic  relations  to  Him  and  His  work. 

III.  Select  your  texts  after  a  careful  survey  of 
your  congregation — its  present  spiritual  condition 
and  prospective  needs.  Some  particular  case 
among  your  people  may  lead  you  to  the  choice  of 
a  text,  the  discussion  of  which  may  not  prove  help- 
ful to  the  person  for  whom  you  intended  it,  but 
which  will  be  used  of  the  Divine  Spirit  to  open 
other  blinded  eyes  which  were  not  in  your  thoughts. 
Let  me  give  you  an  illustration  or  two  out  of  my 
own  experience  in  dealing  with  souls: 

(i)  Many  years  ago  in  this  city,  after  a  long 
and  faithful  conversation  on  personal  religion  with 


CHOOSING  A  TEXT  AND  THEME     2 

a  member  of  my  congregation,  I  went  home  and 
wrote  a  sermon  on  the  text — ''Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus;  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  I  prepared  the 
sermon  after  much  earnest  study  and  prayer;  and 
I  believed  it  would,  with  the  Divine  blessing,  lead 
my  young  friend  into  the  light.  That  Sabbath  was 
a  beautiful  day;  the  congregation  was  large  and 
attentive;  and  the  Lord  gave  me  great  liberty  of 
utterance.  But  the  person  for  whom  the  sermon 
had  been  prepared  was  not  there !  Soon  after  she 
removed  from  this  region,  married  in  a  distant  city, 
and  identified  herself  with  a  heterodox  congrega- 
tion; and  so  far  as  I  know  never  came  into  the 
light,  and  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Did  I  then  make  a  mistake?  Was  my  text  a 
wrong  selection?  I  think  not.  I  asked  the  Lord 
for  it;  and  I  believed,  and  still  believe,  He  gave 
it  to  me.  I  meant  it  to  voice  a  message  to  one 
person,  the  Lord  intended  it  for  many  persons.  I 
have  preached  that  sermon  in  many  places,  and  to 
many  congregations;  and  I  have  many  reasons  to 
believe  never  without  proving  a  fruitful  message. 

So  I  say,  select  your  texts  with  careful  refer- 
ence to  your  people,  and  often  with  some  one  per- 
son in  mind — never  making  him  however  a  recog- 
nizable target  from  the  pulpit.  And  the  Lord  will 
direct  your  message,  it  may  be,  to  widely  different 
persons  from  those  you  had  in  mind.  Let  me  give 
you  another  illustration. 

(2)   In  my  early  ministry  I  went  to  assist  a 


24  SERMON  BUILDING 

brother  pastor  in  a  series  of  special  services.  The 
congregation  was  sorely  distracted — split  up  into 
factions,  growing  largely  out  of  the  state  of  the 
country — it  was  during  the  Civil  War.  In  ten 
days  I  preached  fifteen  sermons,  every  one  of  them 
addressed  to  members  of  the  Church,  for  my 
thought,  with  which  the  pastor  agreed,  was  that  it 
was  of  little  use  to  try  to  reach  the  unconverted, 
while  the  saints  were  in  such  an  unsaintly  spiritual 
condition.  On  sabbath  night,  the  second  sabbath 
evening  of  the  tenth  day,  the  pastor  said,  "1  be- 
lieve I  will  give  an  opportunity  for  an  expression 
of  interest  on  the  part  of  outsiders."  I  assented; 
and  the  invitation  was  given.  In  those  days,  and 
in  that  Presbytery,  it  was  the  custom  to  ask  in- 
quirers to  come  forward  to  the  front  seats  for 
special  personal  counsel  and  prayer.  Almost  im- 
mediately it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  congregation 
was  on  its  feet,  and  moving  to  the  front.  In  the 
little  Church  seating  only  about  200,  twenty-five 
young  people  came  and  sat  down  before  the  desk; 
and  the  place  was  a  veritable  Bochim.  That  broke 
down  the  Church.  Their  petty  divisions  melted 
away  in  the  fire  of  God;  and  a  great  work  of  grace 
went  forward  from  that  day — a  work  of  which 
some  few  survivors  will  tell  you  after  fifty  years. 
Now  the  notable  thing  about  this  work  is  that 
I  had  not  been  preaching  to  these  young  people  at 
all.  And  yet  I  had  been  preaching  to  them  most 
effectively  in  that  the  truth  of  Grod  found  a  lodg- 


CHOOSING  A  TEXT  AND  THEME     25 

ment  in  their  hearts,  getting  in  edgewise.  My  texts 
and  themes,  chosen  in  weakness,  were  Divinely 
guided  to  a  gracious  and  fruitful  end. 

IV.  When  you  have  chosen  a  text,  as  a  rule 
stick  to  it  with  your  mind  ever  on  the  alert  to  note 
the  fact  and  meaning  of  all  daily  happenings.  You 
have  reason  to  believe  that  you  have  received  your 
text  from  God.  Take  it  for  granted  that  it  con- 
tains the  message  which  He  would  have  you  speak. 
Your  own  peace  of  mind  requires  this.  Without 
this  fixity  of  purpose  you  will  vacillate  all  through 
the  week,  and  come  to  the  Sabbath  with  no  cer- 
tain and  definite  word  from  the  Lord  to  your 
people. 

This  does  not  mean,  of  course,  that  you  are  to 
ignore  all  current  events.  Many  things  may  hap- 
pen between  the  selection  of  your  texts  early  in 
the  week,  and  the  preaching  of  your  sermons  on 
the  coming  Lord's  Day.  But  ordinarily  it  is  wiser 
to  adhere  to  the  texts  and  themes  you  have  already 
chosen,  especially  if  you  are  able,  as  often  you  will 
find  it  possible,  to  weave  your  messages  and  the 
more  recent  event  together  in  one  mutually 
strengthening  lesson. 

Sometimes  you  cannot  do  this ;  and  as  a  mental 
necessity  you  will  have  to  take  another  text  and 
subject.  You  will  not  often  have  my  experience 
on  the  death  of  Lincoln.  I  was  pastor  of  a  country 
church  in  one  of  the  mountain  valleys  of  central 
Pennsylvania.     We  were  oflF  the  railroad  eleven 


26  SERMON  BUILDING 

miles,  and  there  was  no  telegraph,  and  the  tele- 
phone was  yet  unborn.  So  it  came  about  that  my 
first  knowledge  of  the  great  tragedy,  which  had 
plunged  the  nation  into  mourning,  reached  me  at 
the  church  door  on  Sabbath  morning.  And  I  was 
full  of  another  theme,  which  I  had  been  studying 
all  the  week.  But  of  course  I  could  not  preach 
it ;  and  you  may  be  sure  I  did  a  prodigious  amount 
of  hustling  and  thinking,  while  the  choir  sang  the 
opening  anthem  and  the  longest  hymn  I  could  find 
in  the  hymn-book! 

Another  experience  of  mine  will  illustrate  the 
truth  that,  while  it  is  ordinarily  wise  to  stick  to 
the  chosen  text  and  theme,  sometimes  a  Divine  con- 
straint  will  compel  you  to  abandon  it.  I  was  sup- 
plying the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Santa  Barbara, 
Cal.  One  Saturday  night  I  was  reviewing  a  ser- 
mon prepared  for  the  next  day.  My  preparations 
were  finally  all  made,  my  hymns  and  Scripture 
lessons  selected;  and  I  was  about  to  retire.  Sud- 
denly there  came  over  me  the  profoundest  convic- 
tion that  I  was  making  a  mistake,  and  that  my 
sermon  was  not  the  one  the  Lord  would  have 
me  preach.  I  laid  it  aside  and  at  1 1 130  p.  m. 
turned  up  the  barrel,  and  selected  another.  My 
mind  was  immediately  at  rest :  and  the  next  morn- 
ing with  most  inadequate  preparation  I  preached 
on  the  text — "Cast  thy  burden  on  the  Lord,  and 
He  will  sustain  thee." 

Two  women  in  black  sat  before  me,  one  of  whom 


CHOOSING  A  TEXT  AND  THEME     27 

I  recognized  as  the  wife  of  one  of  the  elders; 
and  the  other  I  supposed  was  the  married  daughter, 
whose  home  was  in  Oakland.  As  I  spoke  the 
tears  rolled  down  the  face  of  the  younger  woman, 
while  she  appeared  to  be  wholly  unconscious  of 
any  display  of  emotion.  Of  course,  at  the  close 
of  the  service  I  sought  them  out,  and  learned  this 
sad  story — the  daughter  had  been  married  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  had  two  little  children.  The 
eldest,  a  boy  of  six,  had  been  born  deaf  and  dumb. 
When  the  little  girl  came  they  feared  a  similar 
affliction,  but  hoped  they  might  be  spared  another 
so  great  a  trial.  But  only  recently  it  had  become 
evident  that  the  Lord  was  doubling  their  sorrow, 
and  that  their  home  would  never  be  gladdened  by 
the  cheerful  voices  of  happy  children. 

In  the  young  mother's  grief,  she  came  for  com- 
fort to  the  old  home,  and  to  her  own  mother's 
sympathizing  heart.  With  great  difficulty  that 
mother  had  persuaded  her  to  come  to  the  house  of 
God  that  morning  where  she  should  hear,  as  the 
Lord  had  graciously  planned,  a  message  which 
should  wondrously  help  and  comfort  her.  The 
mighty  Lord,  so  opulent  in  resources,  thought  it 
not  too  much  to  send  His  sorrowing  child  five 
hundred  miles  down  the  coast,  to  hear  the  message 
He  had  for  her;  and  that  message  He  had  sent 
more  than  two  thousand  miles  across  the  continent 
to  sustain  her  fainting  soul,  and  send  her  back 


28  SERMON  BXnLDING 

to  her  silent  home  with  lowly  songs  of  submission 
and  peace. 

V.  Seek  variety  in  your  texts  and  themes.  He 
was  a  wise  minister,  whose  practice  it  was — not 
indeed  with  unbroken  regularity — to  vary  his  ser- 
mons somewhat  after  this  fashion — to-day  he  would 
give  his  people  a  sermon  on  some  Bible  doctrine. 
Next  Lord's  Day  his  sermon  would  be  on  some 
practical  Christian  duty.  On  the  third  Sabbath 
he  would  come  before  his  congregation  with  a  care- 
fully prepared  Scripture  exposition.  And  on  the 
fourth  Sunday  he  would  seek  to  interest  his  people 
with  a  fruitful  analysis  and  delineation  of  some 
Biblical  character.  So  he  would  run  a  course  of 
varying  Bible  themes  for  a  month,  and  often  for 
two  months. 

In  this  way  he  succeeded  in  escaping  one  of  the 
most  insidious  perils  that  beset  the  path  of  the 
pastor,  especially  one  settled  in  a  retired  commun- 
ity— the  temptation  to  monotony  in  the  choice  of 
subjects,  leading  often  to  equal  monotony  in  the 
treatment  of  his  themes. 

VI.  Avoid,  or  use  with  extremest  care,  all 
peculiar  texts  and  themes.  This  is  a  common,  and 
for  the  most  part,  wise  direction.  And  the  reason 
is  not  far  to  seek.  The  danger  is  that  your  sermon 
may  seem  dull  and  flat  to  people  whose  attention 
has  been  arrested  by  the  announcement  of  a 
peculiar  and  striking  text.  But  there  are  many 
such  texts  in  the  Bible;  and  I  suppose  they  were 


CHOOSING  A  TEXT  AND  THEME     29 

put  there  to  be  preached  from.  I  think,  therefore, 
that  it  is  permissible  sometimes  to  use  them.  To 
do  so  to  edification,  it  is  important  for  the  preacher 
to  tone  down  the  expectation  of  his  hearers  by 
immediately  calling  attention  to  the  plain  and 
serious  truth  which  the  Divine  Spirit  has  chosen 
to  present  in  such  a  striking  way. 

Let  me  illustrate  the  difficulty,  and  the  way  to 
obviate  it,  from  my  own  experience.  A  few  sum- 
mers ago,  while  still  in  the  pastorate,  I  wished 
to  present  to  the  Summer  School  of  the  College 
of  Wooster  the  truth  in  four  striking  passages  of 
Holy  Scripture  on  four  successive  Sabbath  morn- 
ings. I  announced  a  series  of  'Tlain  Truths  from 
Strange  Texts" — emphasizing  the  plainness  and 
solemnity  of  the  truth,  and  not  the  novelty  of  the 
Scripture  statement. 

My  first  sermon  was  "A  Call  to  Men,"  and  the 
text  was  Pharaoh's  words  to  Israel's  leaders,  "Go 
now  ye  that  are  men,  and  serve  Jehovah."  The 
second  was  on  "Edging  toward  the  World,"  with 
Lot's  example  as  set  forth  in  the  text,  he  "Pitched 
his  tent  toward  Sodom"— a  text  the  Revision  has 
well-nigh  spoiled.  The  third  was  a  statement  of 
the  "Characteristics  of  an  Insufficient  Religion," 
and  the  text  was  in  Isaiah's  words,  "For  the  bed 
is  shorter  than  that  a  man  can  stretch  himself  on 
it;  and  the  covering  narrower  than  that  a  man 
can  wrap  himself  in  it."  The  fourth  sermon  of 
the  series,  addressed  to  women  especially,  was  on 


30  SERMON  BUILDING 

"Making  it  easy  for  our  friends  to  remain  away 
from  Christ,"  and  the  text  was  that  striking  one 
of  Ezekiel,  "Woe  to  the  women  that  sew  pillows 
upon  all  elbows." 

To  sum  up  then  what  has  been  said  on  Choos- 
ing a  Text  and  Theme : 

1.  Cultivate  the  habit  of  noting  Texts  and  ser- 
mon material. 

2.  Get  your  texts  from  God  in  humble  and 
believing  prayer. 

3.  Make  your  selection  after  a  careful  survey 
of  your  congregation. 

4.  When  you  have  chosen  a  text  in  all  ordinary 
circumstances  adhere  to  it. 

5.  Seek  variety  in  your  texts  and  themes. 

6.  Avoid,    or    use    with    extremest    care,    all 
peculiar  texts. 


Ill 

GETTING  SOMETHING  TO  SAY 

WE  have  found  our  text  or  theme:  what 
shall  we  do  with  it?  A  superficial  an- 
swer would  be,  Let  us  first  of  all  set 
down  some  divisions  of  our  proposed  sermon;  or 
perhaps  the  suggestion  would  be,  Let  us  in  the 
first  place  get  a  good  introduction  to  the  subject. 
Well,  some  texts  naturally  divide  themselves; 
we  don't  need  to  waste  time  on  these  bones  of  the 
sermon.  And  for  some  themes,  under  certain  cir- 
cumstances, no  introduction  is  needed ;  and  the  wise 
preacher  will  at  once,  and  without  any  prelimi- 
naries, launch  out  into  the  discussion  of  his  subject. 
Usually,  however,  the  first  thing  is  to  get  some- 
thing to  divide,  if  division  is  called  for — some- 
thing to  introduce,  if  introduction  is  necessary. 
In  other  words,  we  want  first  of  all  something  to 
say.  We  introduce  and  divide  not  the  text  nor 
subject,  but  the  material  we  have  gathered  for  the 
discussion  of  text  and  theme.  And  we  must,  as 
the  first  step,  provide  the  material.  One  word 
describes  the  process,  i.  e.,  Invention — finding  the 
subject-matter  of  the  sermon. 

31 


32  SERMON  BUILDING 

There  are  three  steps  in  this  important  work: 

1.  The  origination  of  thought. 

2.  The  gathering  from  other  fields. 

3.  The  co7nbination  and  assimilation  of  the 
originated  and  gathered  stores. 

Let  us  examine  these  three  steps  in  their  order. 

I.  The  origination  of  thought.  This  is  alto- 
gether the  most  difficult  part  of  sermon  building. 
Some  ministers  shrink  from  it.  And  after  getting 
the  text,  the  first  thing  they  do  is  to  resort  to 
commentaries,  and  the  sermons  of  other  preachers. 
As  a  consequence  of  this  habit  they  become  simply 
compilers ;  and,  as  a  rule,  their  sermons  have  really 
almost  nothing  that  they  can  honestly  call  their 
own. 

Some  suggestions,  therefore,  for  this  work  of 
originating  thought,  will  not  be  out  of  place. 

1.  Resort  to  prayer.  You  received  your  text 
from  the  Lo/d  in  answer  to  prayer.  Continue  in 
that  receptive  attitude,  and  believe  that  He  who 
gave  you  the  message  will  open  your  understanding 
to  the  fullness  of  its  meaning.  Only  by  prayer 
will  you  get  that  tranquillity  of  mind  that  will 
fit  you  to  receive  the  truth  of  the  text  into  your 
own  heart,  and  until  you  get  it  into  your  own 
heart,  you  will  not  be  able  to  carry  it  into  the 
hearts  of  your  hearers. 

2.  Seek  to  get  a  clear  idea  of  the  text,  and  its 
plain  meaning,  just  as  it  would  come  to  an  un- 
tutored reader  of  the  word.    The  common  people 


GETTING  SOMETHING  TO   SAY      33 

will  hear  you  gladly  when  they  find  you  emphasiz- 
ing the  truths  which  they  have  themselves  dis- 
covered in  the  message. 

3.  Read  the  text  in  its  connection,  making  note 
of  any  incident  to  which  it  refers,  and  marking 
any  peculiar  circumstances  in  which  the  text  lies 
imbedded. 

This  preliminary  work  now  being  done,  as  tlie 
next  step  prepare  your  mental  machinery  for  seri- 
ous thinking.  As  part  of  this  preparation  this 
advice  (which  is  not  mine)  is  not  to  be  despised, 
viz..  Take  the  most  favorable  attitude  for  think- 
ing. Some  think  best  walking  the  floor — others 
sitting  at  the  desk  with  pen  in  hand — still  others 
in  a  swinging  chair,  with  feet  on  the  desk  and 
higher  than  the  head,  to  let  the  blood  run  down 
to  the  brain — and  still  others — Alas!  that  I  am 
obliged  to  say  it — with  a  corncob  pipe,  if  not  a 
meerschaum,  in  the  mouth ! 

In  this  process  of  thinking  we  find  two  im- 
portant steps.  The  first  is  that  of  general  survey. 
At  this  stage  of  your  thought  you  are  looking 
about  the  text.  You  stand  before  a  beautiful 
edifice.  You  note  its  location.  You  mark  its 
surroundings.  You  study  its  relations  to  the  land- 
scape which  it  adorns.  All  this  in  a  leisurely  and 
easy  way  you  survey;  but  you  do  not  at  present 
enter  the  building. 

The  second  step,  for  want  of  a  better  term  I 
may  style  that  of  delving  in  the  mine.     At  this 


34  SERMON  BUILDING 

stage  of  your  thinking  your  mind,  with  all  its 
forces  girded  for  earnest  work,  lays  hold  of  the 
text,  turning  it  this  way  and  that,  searching  its 
depths,  and  bringing  to  light  its  hidden,  possibly 
manifold  meanings. 

As  you  thus  bind  your  mind  down  to  the  Divine 
Message,  that  mind  begins  to  work.  A  thought 
springs  forth;  if  you  are  wise  you  will  tarry  a 
moment,  and  nail  it  down.  While  doing  this  a 
second  idea  follows  almost  immediately.  You  nail 
it  down;  and  this  suggests  a  third.  In  like  manner 
you  nail  it  down.  And  so  the  process  of  mental 
incubation  goes  on;  and  almost  before  you  are 
aware  of  it,  you  have  all  needful  and  appropriate 
thought  corraled,  and  noted  on  the  pages  of  your 
note-book. 

11.  Gathering  from  other  fields.  And  i.  First 
of  all,  you  will  need  to  examine  your  text  in  the 
original  Hebrew  or  Greek.  If  you  cannot  read 
Greek  or  Hebrew,  the  good  Lord  have  mercy  on 
your  souls;  you  are  going  to  miss  a  heap.  How- 
ever the  Englishman's  Hebrew  and  Greek  Con- 
cordances are  two  volumes  which  will  greatly  help 
you,  and  make  up  in  large  measure  for  your 
ignorance  of  the  words  in  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  enshrined  the  message  of  salvation.  To  some 
of  you  this  may  seem  a  barren  field,  even  with 
the  aid  of  such  scholarly  helps.  I  beg  to  assure 
you  that  it  is  not  so;  on  the  contrary  it  is  often- 
times an  exceedingly  fruitful  field.    The  root  idea 


GETTING   SOMETHING  TO   SAY      35 

and  original  meaning  of  the  words  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture often  open  upon  a  world  of  fruitful  and  edify- 
ing thought.  Let  me  give  you  two  illustrations, 
one  from  the  Hebrew,  the  other  from  the  Greek, 
e.  g.,  Psalm  17:8 — ''Keep  me  as  the  apple  of  the 
eye."  Literally  it  is  "Keep  me  as  the  little  one  of 
the  eye."  What  suggestive  meaning  is  here?  You 
confront  the  face  of  your  loved  one,  and  the 
image  you  see  in  those  gentle  orbs  is  a  miniature 
of  yourself.  So  the  Psalmist  is  near  to  Jehovah, 
and  in  those  Divine  eyes,  bent  in  love  upon  him, 
he  beholds  a  miniature  of  himself;  and  as  one 
guards  his  eye  and  the  picture  there  portrayed, 
so  he  prays  for  the  Divine  keeping. 

Again  look  at  Mark's  story  of  the  Feeding  of 
the  Five  Thousand.  The  Lord  commands  his  dis- 
ciples to  seat  the  multitudes  in  companies  or  liter- 
ally ''parterres"  of  about  fifty  each.  And  knowing 
the  Oriental  love  of  bright  colors,  we  can  imagine 
the  variegated  costumes,  and  what  a  spectacle  is 
here  pictured  for  us  in  the  100  parterres  or  flower- 
beds spread  out  in  orderly  array  on  the  green  slopes 
of  Bethsaida.  No  quicker  way  can  be  imagined 
for  securing  the  attention  and  awakening  the  in- 
terest of  a  congregation  in  the  discussion  of  the 
great  miracle  than  to  begin  with  this  picturesque 
setting  of  the  Gospel  story. 

2.  Collect  and  collate  all  parallel  passages. 
With  discrimination  you  will  afterward  find  it 
needful  to  reject  those  which  on  a  closer  examina- 


36  SERMON  BUILDING 

tion  you  come  to  see  are  inappropriate.  Then  you 
will  find  it  helpful  to  write  out  all  those  that  are 
really  Ad  rem.  And  as  you  thus  work,  you  will 
find  a  store  of  thought,  germane  to  your  text  and 
helpful  in  its  elucidation,  coming  to  your  hand. 

3.  Having  done  your  ozvn  thinking,  you  can 
now  safely  and  profitably  look  over  the  thinking 
of  other  students  of  the  Word.  Now  is  the  time 
to  examine  the  best  and  sanest  and  soundest  of  the 
commentaries.  You  may  not  find  even  the  best 
of  them  specially  helpful.  It  has  been  wisely  and 
wittily  said.  Commentaries  are  notoriously  good 
on  the  easy  places,  but  of  comparatively  little  value 
on  the  passages  that  really  need  an  enlightening 
exposition. 

4.  As  another  step  in  gathering  from  other 
fields,  now  is  the  time  for  yon  to  read  anything 
and  everything  that  you  have  reason  to  believe 
will  ''bring  grist  to  your  mill,''  and  increase  the 
store  of  subject-matter  for  your  sermon.  To  be 
well  posted  in  the  lessons  of  history  will  be  vastly 
helpful  to  you;  and  this  is  particularly  true  of 
perfect  familiarity  with  the  historical  portions  of 
the  holy  word.  With  all  the  modern  Bible  study, 
we  have  to  admit  that  there  is  a  woeful  amount 
of  ignorance  of  the  historical  Scriptures.  Of  the 
many  thousands  who  sing  Perronet's  grand  old 
hymn,  *'A11  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name,"  how 
few  there  are  who  understand  the  meaning  of  his 
phrase — "the  stem  of  Jesse's  rod/'  or  know  where 


GETTING  SOMETHING  TO   SAY      37 

the  poet  found  this  singular  name  for  the  Messiah. 
This  is  but  one  illustration  of  many  Scriptural 
expressions  and  incidents,  the  use  of  which  will 
greatly  enrich  your  discourses,  and  you  may  be 
sure  will  come  to  many  of  your  people  with  all 
the  freshness  of  novelty,  and  as  something  they 
have  never  heard  of  before. 

III.  The  combination  and  asskiiilation  of  your 
originated  and  gathered  stores.  This  is  an  exceed- 
ingly difficult  and  important  part  of  your  work 
in  building  a  sermon. 

You  have  gathered,  let  us  suppose,  abundant 
material  from  the  store-house  of  your  own  brain, 
and  from  the  fields  where  other  minds  have  gar- 
nered. You  cannot  put  this  miscellaneous  store 
before  your  people  in  any  edifying  way,  without 
further  thought,  and,  shall  I  say  manipulation. 
This  body  of  material  must  now  be  put  through 
the  alembic  of  your  own  mind,  and  fused  into 
one  homogeneous  mass.  Only  thus  can  you  regard 
it  as  fitting  Subject-matter  for  your  sermon.  To 
do  this  effectively  several  things  are  necessary. 
You  must  go  back  to  your  text,  and  ask  yourself, 
What  does  this  text  need?  Is  it  explanation — or 
proof — or  illustration — or  practical  enforcement. 
And  your  answers  to  these  questions  will  deter- 
mine what,  and  how  much,  of  the  material  you 
can  use,  and  how. 

But  I  need  not  further  dwell  upon  this  topic. 
You  will  secure  a  great  variety,  and  come  to  your 


38  SERMON  BUILDING 

pulpit  with  an  ever  unfading  freshness  in  a  wise 
and  discriminating  use  of  the  stores  of  thought 
you  have  garnered  and  gathered. 

Perhaps  in  talking  of  materials  for  sermons,  I 
should  say  something  just  here  on  the  subject  of 
''Quotations."  A  series  of  Don'ts  will  probably 
best  express  my  mind  about  them. 

1.  Don't  use  quotations  very  often.  Some 
ministers'  sermons  are  like  a  patch-work  quilt. 

2.  Don't  make  a  point  simply  to  bring  in  an 
interesting  quotation.  That  device  is  quite  trans- 
parent and  soon  loses  its  effect. 

3.  Don't  use  quotations  that  are  not  germane 
to  your  subject,  and  easily  recognized  as  such. 

4.  Don't  use  quotations  simply  to  ^hozv  the 
extent  of  your  reading,  and  impress  your  people 
zmth  your  learning. 

5.  Don't  use  doggerel  in  quotirig,  but  drazv 
upon  the  great  poets,  or  the  hymn-writers  of  all 
the  ages. 

Sometimes  one  of  the  grand  old  hymns,  apropos 
to  your  subject,  will  most  effectively  close  a  good 
sermon.  For  example,  if  you  were  preaching  on 
Rev.  19:12,  ''And  on  His  heads  were  many 
crowns,"  you  might  close  with  this  incident:  One 
of  God's  saints  dying  in  a  foreign  city,  was  heard 
to  murmur  "Bring,"  and  they  summoned  her  hus- 
band. But  she  shook  her  head,  and  again  breathed 
forth  the  one  word,  "Bring."  And  they  brought 
her  little  daughter ;  and  again  she  shook  her  head ; 


GETTING  SOMETHING  TO  SAY      39 

and  again  they  caught  the  word,  "Bring."  Once 
more  the  nurse  brought  the  strengthening  cordial ; 
but  again  she  shook  her  head.  At  last,  summon- 
ing all  her  powers  so  rapidly  failing,  she  cried 
out : 

"  Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all." 

and  sank  away  immediately  into  unconsciousness, 
to  awaken,  as  they  fondly  believed,  in  the  presence 
of  her  crowned  Christ. 

After  such  a  sermon,  and  such  an  affecting  in- 
cident, a  few  stanzas  of  the  hymn,  I  have  already 
quoted,  would  seem  to  be  a  necessity: 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name," 

and  any  Christian  congregation  would  surely  join 
in  the  glorious  refrain : 

"And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all." 


IV 

ARRANGING  OUR  MATERIAL 

WE  have  found  our  text  and  theme.  We 
have  gathered  from  various  sources  such 
material  as  we  wish  to  use  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  our  subject.  How  shall  we  present  this 
material  to  our  people? 

In  answering  this  question  two  others  emerge 
just  here,  viz. :  ( i )  In  this  arranging  of  our  mate- 
rial shall  we  make  use  of  divisions?  And,  if  we 
answer  this  affirmatively,  (2)  Shall  we  announce 
our  divisions  beforehand? 

Before  going  further  we  must  find,  if  we  can, 
satisfactory  answers  to  these  inquiries. 

I.  Shall  we  make  use  of  divisions  in  arrang- 
ing our  materials?  I  should  say,  Certainly  not,  if 
what  we  have  to  say  amounts  only  to  a  sermon- 
ette !  It  is  not  worth  while  to  divide  a  loaf  if  the 
separate  parts  amount  only  to  a  few  little  crumbs. 

The  modern  tendency,  I  think,  is  to  discard  the 
use  of  divisions.  Some  say  they  trammel  and 
hamper  the  mind  of  the  preacher  as  he  prepares 
his  sermon.  I  do  not  myself  see  how  this  can 
be,  if  he  gathers  his  material  before  he  divides. 

40 


ARRANGING   OUR  MATERIAL         41 

If  a  man  divides  his  text,  as  the  next  step  after 
getting  one,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  his  divisions 
may  prove  barrier  lines,  v^ithin  v^hich  all  his  sub- 
sequent mental  processes  must  go  forward.  Others 
say  divisions  are  destructive  of  unity.  This  de- 
pends on  the  kind  of  division  you  make.  This  will 
appear  more  clearly  when  we  come  to  consider 
the  characteristics  of  a  good  division. 

Dr.  Paxton  used  to  tell  his  students,  Divisions 
are  depreciated  by  several  classes  of  people  as  ( i ) 
By  those  who  strive  simply  to  please;  this  is  best 
accomplished  without  divisions  (as  to  which  my 
verdict  would  be  best  expressed  in  the  Scotch 
vernacular,  "I  hae  me  doots  aboot  that").  (2)  By 
those  who  do  not  know,  or  at  least  do  not  practice 
on  the  knowledge  of,  the  difference  between  the 
essay  and  the  sermon ;  and  in  this,  in  my  judgment, 
there  is  a  vast  amount  of  truth.  In  conforming 
to  the  demand  for  short  sermons  (which  at  the 
outside  must  not  go  beyond  30  minutes,  and  the 
most  popular  preacher  hesitates  to  exceed  20)  our 
modern  sermon  builders  unconsciously  slide  into 
an  essay  style;  and  so  we  no  longer  hear  the 
stoutly-framed  strongly-built  discussion  of  truth 
that  grips  the  attention,  conscience,  heart  and  will 
of  the  congregation,  and  becomes  an  element  of 
tremendous  power  in  molding  the  life  of  the 
people. 

2.  //  zve  make  use  of  divisions,  shall  we  an- 
nounce them  he  forehand?    I  should  say,  No.    And 


42  SERMON  BUILDING 

in  this,  I  believe,  I  have  the  approving  judgment 
of  many  of  the  great  preachers  of  the  Church — 
as  Fenelon  of  the  French  pulpit,  and  Robert  Hall 
of  the  English.  Yet  it  is  a  notable  fact  that 
Robert  Hall,  distinguished  as  his  sermons  are  for 
good  divisions,  almost  invariably  announces  them 
beforehand.  In  the  six  large  volumes  of  his  works 
I  found  not  more  than  a  dozen,  in  which  the 
whole  scheme  of  his  sermon  is  not  spread  out  in 
the  beginning,  immediately  after  his  introduction. 
So  you  can  take  Hall's  precept,  or  his  practice. 
I  prefer  his  precept.  It  seems  to  me  the  interest 
of  the  people  will  be  more  easily  and  certainly 
kept  up,  if  you  do  not  announce  your  divisions 
beforehand.  And  if  it  be  desirable,  as  oftentimes 
it  will  be,  to  give  your  people  a  general  and  com- 
prehensive view  of  what  you  have  been  saying, 
you  can  better  do  it  in  a  closing  recapitulation. 

Taking  it  for  granted,  then,  that  as  a  general 
rule  sermons  are  better  for  divisions,  let  us  now 
attend  to  these  three  things  about  them.  And, 
as  you  see,  I  follow  Robert  Hall's  practice,  and 
announce  them  beforehand: 

1.  Some  of  the  characteristics  of  good  divi- 
sions. 

2.  Some  of  the  different  kinds  of  divisions. 

3.  Some  of  the  wisest  methods  of  treating  divi- 
sions. 


ARRANGING  OUR  MATERIAL        43 

I.    SOME  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  GOOD  DIVISIONS 

1.  They  should  he  brief.  Divisions  are  like 
the  sash  in  the  window — important  and  needful 
to  support  the  glass ;  but  the  less  sash  you  use  the 
more  light  you  will  have. 

2.  They  should  he  few  and  yet  comprehensive. 
Few — so  that  your  people  can  carry  them  away 
in  memory,  and  by  recalling  them  may  be  able  to 
recollect  the  essential  parts  of  your  sermon.  Com- 
prehensive— that  so  no  part  of  your  text  will  appear 
to  have  been  omitted. 

3.  They  may  he  concealed.  That  is  to  say, 
it  is  not  always  necessary  to  announce  your  divi- 
sions as  firstly,  secondly,  etc.,  while  yet  they  are 
separated  so  distinctly  that  even  an  inattentive 
hearer  can  note  your  passing  from  one  point  to 
another. 

4.  They  should  he  marked  hy  one  of  tzvo 
features;  ( i )  They  should  grow  one  out  of  an- 
other. Your  first,  for  example,  should  presuppose 
the  coming  of  your  second,  yet  never  imply  your 
hearers'  knowledge  of  the  second.  And  your  sec- 
ond should  look  for  its  completion  to  the  third, 
and  so  on,  if  you  have  so  many.  This  is  so  im- 
portant let  me  illustrate  it  by  an  example.  You 
are  preaching  on  Mark  3 129,  "Whosoever  shall 
blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Spirit  hath  never  for- 
giveness, but  is  guilty  of  an  eternal  sin."  You 
say  by  way  of  introduction,  One  of  the  most  subtle 


44  SERMON  BUILDING 

objections  to  the  doctrine  of  eternal  retribution 
finds  its  force  in  the  vision  of  a  soul  in  the  lost 
world  bemoaning  its  folly  and  crying  out  for  a 
penitent  return  to  God,  but  shut  out  of  heaven 
by  an  arbitrary  and  irreversible  ordination.  There 
will  never  be  such  a  case.  The  teaching  of  Scrip- 
ture is  that  the  lost  not  only  have  no  power  but 
also  no  desire  to  return  to  God.  They  are  guilty 
of  an  eternal  sin.  This  then  will  be  your  plan  in 
defending  the  text:  (i)  The  terrible  and  destruc- 
tive persistence  of  sin.  Without  help  ab  extra  it 
goes  on  to  irremediable  ruin.  (2)  God's  gracious 
provision  for  arresting  this  persistence  of  sin,  in 
the  blessed  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  (3)  The 
nature  of  that  sin  which  defeats  the  provisions  of 
the  Divine  Mercy,  and  compasses  the  eternal  loss 
of  the  soul.  (4)  An  earnest  plea  for  a  tender 
treatment  of  the  loving  Spirit. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  see  how  in  this  plan  of  a 
sermon  one  division  grows  out  of  the  preceding; 
and  the  order  of  the  topics  cannot  be  changed 
without  destroying  the  unity  of  the  discourse,  and 
blocking  the  tender  appeal  with  which  you  would 
close  the  discussion  of  this  solemn  subject. 

2.  //  not  bound  to  each  other  after  this  fashion 
your  divisions  should  all  be  bound  with  common 
ligaments  to  the  central  theme.  The  divisions  of 
your  sermon  are  like  the  stalks  of  a  bunch  of 
celery.  Every  separate  succulent  stalk  stands  up- 
right alongside  of  its  fellow;  but  if  you  will  look 


ARRANGING  OUR  MATERIAL        45 

low  enough,  you  will  see  every  stalk  curving  round 
to  take  hold  of  the  common  root.  Let  me  illus- 
trate this  by  an  example.  You  are  preaching  on 
Gal.  6.7,  and  your  theme  is  *'The  Laws  of  the 
Harvest."  The  heads  of  your  discourse  are  these, 
viz.:  (i)  We  shall  reap  if  we  sow.  (2)  We  shall 
reap  what  we  sow.  (3)  We  shall  reap  as  we  sow. 
(4)  We  shall  reap  more  than  we  sow.  (5)  We 
shall  often  reap  what  other  people  sow. 

Here  are  five  divisions;  and  the  order  in  which 
you  discuss  them  is  not  very  material.  All  have 
an  equal  relation  to  the  general  theme  of  the  text, 
and  all  take  hold  of  the  memory;  //  we  sow — 
What  we  sow — As  we  sow — More  than  we  sow — 
What  others  sow. 

Such  divisions,  growing  one  out  of  another,  or 
growing  out  of  one  central  theme,  so  thought  out 
and  bound  together,  will  never  shackle  the  mind 
of  the  preacher,  nor  destroy  the  unity  of  his  dis- 
course. 


II.    SOME  OF  THE  DIFFERENT   KINDS  OF  DIVISIONS 

Divisions  are  multiform;  and  it  will  help  us  to 
learn  and  use  all  of  them.  Our  sermons  then  will 
not  seem  to  be  cast  in  the  same  mold.  Because 
of  our  inattention  to  this,  some  of  our  people  may 
come  to  think  our  divisions  are  mechanical  and 
stiff.  The  whole  sermon  w^ill  seem  to  them  a  ribbon 
of  dried-up  material  which  we  reel  off,  chopping 


46  SERMON  BUILDING 

off  a  portion  here — and  another  there,  "without 
rime  or  reason,"  and  the  entire  performance  will 
have  such  an  air  of  unreality  as  to  disgust  the 
intelligent  and  thoughtful  hearer. 

Dr.  Paxton's  lectures  mentioned  seven  different 
kinds  of  divisions.  I  select  five  of  his  classifica- 
tions as  specially  worthy  of  note;  and  in  this  ex- 
amination for  the  most  part  use  the  examples  he 
furnishes  by  way  of  illustration.  One  of  the  five 
deserves  more  than  this  passing  glance,  as  we  shall 
see: 

I.  Topical  Divisions.  This  class  is  especially 
a  division  of  the  subject,  not  of  the  text.  As  an 
example  take  John  3  \y — ''Ye  must  be  born  anew." 
Strictly  speaking,  the  subject  of  this  text  is  the 
Necessity  of  the  New  Birth.  But  if  you  wished 
to  treat  it  topically  your  subject  would  be  "The 
New  Birth,"  and  your  divisions  would  be  the 
topical  ones — (i)  The  Nature — (2)  The  Author 
— (3)  The  Necessity — (4)  The  Evidences  of  the 
New  Birth. 

The  great  value  of  this  kind  of  divisions  is  this : 
It  disciplines  the  mind  of  the  preacher  to  wide 
and  comprehensive  views  of  truth.  At  the  same 
time  it  gives  the  thoughtful  hearer  the  oppor- 
tunity for  large  and  influential  aspects  of  Scrip- 
ture doctrines  and  principles. 

There  is  the  danger  in  the  use  of  such  divisions 
that  the  sermon  may  be  dry.  This  may  be  due 
partly  to  the  nature  of  the  themes  to  which  this 


ARRANGING   OUR  MATERIAL         47 

kind  of  divisions  is  specially  applicable;  but  for 
the  most  part  it  will  be  the  fault  of  the  preacher 
if  the  sermon  thus  divided  is  not  interesting. 

2.  Propositional  Divisions.  Here  we  draw  our 
divisions  from  a  proposition  as  before  from  a 
topic.  Taking  the  same  text  as  before,  John  3  .7, 
we  draw  the  proposition,  'The  New  Birth  is  neces- 
sary to  Salvation."  Then  our  divisions  would  be 
the  separate  and  varied  proofs  of  this  proposition. 

A  good  illustration  of  propositional  divisions  is 
given  in  a  sermon  by  Theremin  (the  noted  German 
Huguenot  pastor  of  the  French  Reformed  Church 
in  Berlin,  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century). 
His  sermon  is  on  Acts  17:30,  31 — 'The  times  of 
ignorance  therefore  God  overlooked;  but  now  He 
commandeth  men  that  they  should  all  everywhere 
repent;  in  as  much  as  He  hath  appointed  a  day 
in  which  He  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness 
by  the  man  whom  He  hath  ordained;  whereof  He 
hath  given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  He  hath 
raised  him  from  the  dead."  From  this  text  he 
draws  this  proposition:  ''We  consider  the  resur- 
rection as  an  incentive  to  repentance."  And  these 
are  his  propositional  divisions:  (i)  The  resurrec- 
tion proves  the  existence  of  an  invisible  world. 
(2)  We  pass  into  that  world  after  death.  (3)  Our 
destiny  in  that  world  depends  on  our  relation  to 
Christ  here  in  this  world. 

This  is  an  example  of  divisions  drawn  from  a 
single  proposition.     Sometimes  the  divisions  may 


48  SERMON  BUILDING 

be  a  series  of  propositions.  Old  John  Flavel  has 
a  sermon  illustrative  of  this  on  the  text  in  Luke 
23:43:  '*To-day  thou  shalt  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise.'* His  divisions  are  the  following  proposi- 
tions, viz.,  (i)  There  is  a  future  state  into  which 
souls  pass  after  death.  (2)  All  believers  are  im- 
mediately after  death  received  into  glory.  (3) 
God  may,  though  He  seldom  does,  prepare  men 
for  this  glory  immediately  before  death. 

3.  Textual  Divisions,  This  kind  of  division 
I  pass  by  for  the  present.  We  shall  have  oppor- 
tunity to  consider  it  when  we  come  to  the  study 
of  the  Expository  Sermon. 

4.  Observational  Divisions.  In  this  kind  of 
division  the  sermon  consists  of  a  series  of  observa- 
tions springing  naturally  from  the  text.  A  good 
illustration  is  furnished  in  Dr.  Bedome's  sermon 

Ion  Acts  9:4,  "Why  persecutest  thou  me?"  His 
divisions  are  the  following  observations,  viz., 
(i)  Unconverted  men  are  often  of  a  persecuting 
spirit.  (2)  Christ  has  his  eye  upon  persecutors. 
(3)  He  considers  an  injury  done  to  his  people  as 
done  to  Himself.  (4)  His  call  to  persecutors  is 
to  produce  conviction  of  sin.  (5)  His  call  is 
earnest  and  particular.  (6)  He  condescends  to 
reason  with  the  persecutor. 

Some  cautions  are  needed  in  the  use  of  divisions 
of  this  kind.  ( i )  Be  sure  you  make  observations 
or  reflections,  and  not  propositions.  In  a  general 
way    the    difference   between   the    two    is    this — 


ARRANGING  OUR  MATERIAL         49 

Propositions  are  statements  of  truth  susceptible  of 
debate;  Observations  are  statements  of  truth  in- 
stantly and  everywhere  accepted.  (2)  Observa- 
tions should  be  devotional — experimental  or  prac- 
tical, not  philosophical  or  critical.  (3)  They 
should  not  be  scholastic  on  the  one  hand,  nor  dry 
and  commonplace  on  the  other. 

5.  Interrogative  Divisions.  This  is  a  useful 
and  favorite  form  of  divisions.  It  brings  out  the 
meaning  of  the  text  by  well-directed  questions. 
For  example.  Jay  on  Matt.  6:33,  ''Seek  ye  first 
the  kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness,"  has 
these  interrogative  divisions:  (i)  What?  (2) 
How?  (3)  Why  are  we  to  seek?  Again  Dr. 
Alexander  on  Mark  1:1,  'The  beginning  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,"  has 
these  divisions,  viz.,  (i)  What  is  the  Gospel? 
(2)  Whose  is  it?  (3)  Where  did  it  begin  of  old? 
(4)  Where  does  it  begin  now? 

This  is  a  brief  survey  of  some  different  forms 
of  division  into  which  you  can  cast  the  material 
of  your  discourses.  By  a  careful  and  judicious 
selection,  adapting  the  kind  of  division  to  the  sub- 
ject in  hand,  you  will  escape  the  danger  of  monot- 
ony in  the  structure  of  your  sermons;  and  the 
people  will  never  have  the  opportunity  to  say  of 
you,  ''He  is  a  good  preacher,  but  his  sermons  are 
stiff  and  mechanical  in  their  make-up." 


50  SERMON  BUILDING 

III.    SOME  OF  THE  WISEST  METHODS  OF  TREATING 
DIVISIONS 

You  have  the  text  and  the  subject.  The  material 
for  your  sermon  is  all  gathered — from  your  own 
brain,  and  from  other  people's  brains,  and  from 
miscellaneous  sources.  You  have  made  such  ar- 
rangement of  your  material  as  seems  to  you  most 
fitting.  And  now  your  first  head  is  before  you. 
The  question  then  is  urgent — What  will  you  do 
with  it? 

There  are  four  things  usually  to  be  done  with 
a  division. 

1.  It  is  to  he  explained.  This,  of  course,  de- 
pends on  whether  any  explanation  is  needed.  And 
whether  or  not  it  is  necessary  will  appear  in  an- 
swer to  these  two  questions :  ( i )  Will  explanation 
throw  any  fight  on  my  theme?  and  (2)  Will  ex- 
planation interest  the  congregation?  If  these  ques- 
tions cannot  be  answered  affirmatively,  you  may 
take  it  for  granted  that  explanation  is  not  needed, 
and  were  better  omitted.  In  any  case,  the  explana- 
tion of  a  division  should  be  brief,  lucid,  and  in- 
teresting. 

2.  A  division  is  to  he  proved.  Here  also,  of 
course,  the  question  must  be  answered  first  of  all, 
Is  any  proof  needed?  If  not,  then  don't  try  it, 
but  proceed  at  once  to  illustrate  and  enforce  it. 
Usually,  however,  the  themes  of  the  pulpit  are 


ARRANGING  OUR  MATERIAL        51 

great  themes,  and  proof  is  often  needed  to  win 
our  hearers'  acceptance  of  Scripture  truth. 

3.  A  division  is  to  be  illustrated.  Of  course, 
as  with  explanation  and  proof,  a  division  that  does 
not  need  to  be  illustrated,  ought  not  to  be  sub- 
jected to  this  kind  of  treatment.  Dr.  Paxton 
gave  us  seven  different  kinds  of  illustrations.  I 
must  content  myself  with  simply  mentioning  them. 
They  are  illustration  i.  By  Metaphor — 2.  By 
Simile — 3.  By  Antithesis — 4.  By  Parable — 5.  By 
Allegory — 6.  By  Illustrative  Example — and  7.  By 
Historical  Allusion. 

4.  A  division  is  to  be  enforced  or  applied^ 
This  form  of  treatment  is  not  often  applicable  to 
a  division;  more  commonly  it  belongs  to  the  whole 
sermon,  as  we  shall  see  in  a  subsequent  'Talk." 
And  the  common  sense  direction  is,  If  the  division 
does  not  need  this  separate  application,  don't  try 
to  make  it,  but  wait  for  the  end  of  the  discourse. 


THE  BEGINNING  AND  THE  ENDING 

OUR  text  has  been  chosen.  Our  subject  has 
been  determined  upon.  The  necessary  and 
proper  material  has  been  gathered.  That 
material  has  been  fittingly  arranged.  With  all 
this  done,  we  may  have  an  excellent  torso.  But 
our  body  needs  a  head  and  feet  before  we  can 
say  it  is  finished.  In  other  words  we  want  an 
introduction  and  a  conclusion — an  exordium  and 
a  peroration.  They  are  by  no  means  unimportant. 
Among  the  many  homiletic  aids  of  our  day,  Dr. 
Herrick  Johnson's  *'The  Ideal  Ministry"  ranks 
among  the  latest  and  best.  In  one  of  his  later 
letters,  given  by  his  biographer,  he  mentions  one 
of  the  serious  defects  of  his  book.  On  the  "Ideal 
Sermon,"  he  says,  ^'Strangely  enough  I  have 
omitted  all  discussion  of  its  ideal  introduction  and 
conclusion.  How  I  came  to  leave  these  minor, 
yet  often  vital  parts  of  the  sermon  (either  of 
which  may  be  determinative  of  pulpit  effective- 
ness), to  go  without  some  elaboration  and  emphasis 
I  do  not  quite  know."  We  know  the  probable 
reason  was  in  his  absorption  in  ministering  to  his 

52 


BEGINNING  AND  THE  ENDING      53 

beloved  wife  in  her  last  illness.  The  fact  that  he 
thought  it  necessary  to  prepare  an  addendum  to 
his  book  for  a  possible  second  edition,  on  the  ideal 
introduction  and  conclusion,  shows  his  estimate  of 
the  importance  of  the  topics  of  this  'Talk." 


I.      THE  INTRODUCTION 

Some  people  say  the  introduction  of  a  sermon 
should  be  written  last,  like  the  preface  of  a  book. 
This  opinion  does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  well-sup- 
ported. When  the  sermon  is  finished,  the  mind 
of  the  writer  is  all  aglow  with  the  treatment  of 
the  theme,  and  is  not  in  a  condition  of  calm  seren- 
ity best  fitted  to  write  the  few  quiet  statements 
which  may  most  appropriately  introduce  the 
sermon. 

The  purpose  of  the  introduction  will  also  indi- 
cate the  time  when  it  ought  to  be  written.  The 
old  masters  of  rhetoric  taught  that  the  object  of 
the  introduction  was  three- fold — to  render  the 
audience  Docile,  Benevolent,  and  Attentive.  The 
first  two  are  likely  to  be  secured  by  the  character 
and  personality  of  the  speaker,  before,  he  says  any- 
thing. If  not,  they  will  not  probably  be  attained 
by  any  words  of  the  introduction. 

The  main  thing  is  to  secure  attention.  For  this 
purpose,  the  thought  of  the  exordium,  natural  in 
character,  should  be  presented  in  a  natural  order, 
and  in  a  natural  manner,  with  short  and  sprightly 


54  SERMON  BUILDING 

sentences,  and  with  nothing  dry  or  prosy  about 
them. 

Introductions  are  not  always  necessary ;  and  the 
wise  preacher  will  best  serve  his  cause  by  at  once 
jumping  into  the  heart  of  his  subject. 

Some  characteristics  of  a  good  introduction  may 
here  be  mentioned:  i.  It  should  be  brief.  2.  It 
should  be  pertinent  and  appropriate.  3.  It  should 
be  clear  and  perspicuous.  4.  It  should  be  cool, 
calm,  and  grave.  5.  It  should  be  delicate.  This 
last  characteristic  is  violated  (i)  By  apologies,  (2) 
by  a  self-important  air,  (3)  by  pedantry — an  osten- 
tatious display  of  learning. 

From  what  has  been  said  you  will  easily  under- 
stand that  it  is  no  small  matter  to  get  a  good  in- 
troduction. There  are  several  reasons  for  this: 
I.  The  subject  matter  of  the  introduction  should 
be  different  from  that  of  the  sermon.  I  recently 
heard  a  minister  preach  a  sermon  on  Gideon,  and 
it  was  a  good  sermon  too.  But  the  preacher  read 
as  the  opening  lesson  of  the  service  the  sixth 
chapter  of  the  book  of  Judges,  which  is  not  a  short 
one,  and  full  of  the  incidents  of  Gideon's  early 
career;  and  he  gave  a  running  comment  on  those 
incidents.  The  sermon  following  was  an  exposi- 
tory one  on  the  Hfe  services  of  the  great  Judge 
of  Israel.  Both  the  reading  and  the  sermon  were 
excellent,  but  the  first  took  the  juice  out  of  the 
second.    In  like  manner,  if  you  say  in  the  introduc- 


BEGINNING  AND  THE  ENDING      55 

tion  what  you  propose  to  say  in  your  sermon,  the 
freshness  of  your  sermon  will  be  spoiled. 

2.  While  different  from  the  sermon,  the  thought 
of  the  introduction  should  be  closely  related  to 
the  sermon.  3.  It  should  be  a  legitimate  correla- 
tive of  the  sermon. 

Dr.  Paxton  gave  us  ten  different  kinds  of  forms 
of  introduction.  Quoting  again  from  my  manu- 
script notes  of  his  lectures,  let  us  just  glance  at 
them. 

1.  Introductions  drazvn  from  the  context.  This 
is  one  of  the  simplest  forms  of  introduction.  They 
describe  themselves.  They  are  apt  to  be  too  long. 
There  is  danger  of  stiffness  in  reciting  the  items 
of  the  context.  Or  the  preacher  may  fall  into  an 
inflated  or  bombastic  style  in  giving  the  nexus  of 
the  text.  And  either  stiffness  or  bombast  is  fatal 
to  the  usefulness  of  this  form  of  exordium. 

2.  Explanatory  introductions.  In  this  kind  of 
introduction  the  preacher  explains  (i)  a  word  or 
phrase  of  the  text,  or  (2)  the  literal,  prophetical, 
or  spiritual  meaning  of  the  text,  or  (3)  the  mean- 
ing of  a  metaphor  in  the  text,  or  (4)  a  historical 
allusion  in  the  text,  or  (5)  the  meaning  of  a  type 
used  in  the  text. 

3.  Introductions  drawn  from  the  analogy  of 
Scripture.  In  this  form  of  exordium  the  preacher 
takes  a  parallel  passage,  and  reflects  its  full  light 
on  the  text.  E.  g..  Dr.  Payson  on  Heb.  3  7,  "To- 
day if  ye  will  hear  His  voice,  etc,''  introduces  his 


56  SERMON  BUILDING 

sermon  by  a  reference  to  Revelation  2 17,  "He  that 
hath  an  ear  to  hear  let  him  hear  what  the  Spirit 
saith."  Again,  Saurin,  the  great  French  preacher 
on  the  song  of  Simeon,  the  Nunc  Dimittis  of  the 
Prayer  Book— ''Now  Lord,  lettest  Thou  Thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  etc,"  begins  his  sermon 
by  a  reference  to  Jacob's  words  on  meeting  Joseph 
— "Now  let  me  die  since  I  have  seen  thy  face, 
^that  thou  art  yet  alive." 

4.  Anecdotal  introductions.  In  this  form  of 
exordium  an  anecdote  or  incident  is  used  to  give 
interest,  force,  or  practical  impressiveness  to  a 
text.  E.  g.,  A  sermon  on  Rom.  2:17,  "The  just 
shall  live  by  faith,"  might  be  fittingly  introduced 
by  the  story  of  Luther's  experience,  while  climb- 
ing the  Scala  Santa  in  Rome,  where  this  text  was 
flashed  into  his  mind  by  the  Divine  Spirit  to  the 
illumination  of  his  soul. 

Four  things  must  characterize  an  anecdote  fit- 
tingly used  as  an  introduction — it  must  be  (i) 
Brief — (2)  Apposite — (3)  Pointed — and  (4) 
Well-told. 

5.  Illustrative  introductions.  These  consist  in 
throwing  on  the  text  the  light  of  an  illustration 
drawn  from  some  outside  source,  usually  an  im- 

/' aginary  case.  E.  g.,  Adolph  Monod,  one  of  the 
great  French  preachers,  introduces  a  sermon  on 
the  text  (i  John  4:8)  "God  is  love,"  by  supposing 
part  of  the  text,  "God  is,"  to  have  been  found 
in  some  manuscript  in  the  ruins  of  Herculaneum, 


BEGINNING  AND  THE  ENDING      57 

and  imagines  what  diligent  and  extensive  inquiries 
would  be  instituted  everywhere  to  find  the  re- 
mainder of  the  text! 

This  form  of  introduction  is  very  striking,  and 
for  this  very  reason  exceedingly  dangerous.  It 
would  never  do  to  have  a  dull  sermon  follow  so 
striking  an  exordium. 

6.  Argumentative  introductions.  Any  close 
thinking  in  the  beginning  of  a  sermon  is  to  be 
avoided.  The  people  have  not  yet  settled  them- 
selves in  all  seriousness  to  hear  what  you  have  to 
say.  But  a  kind  of  loose  arguing  is  permissible; 
and  such  should  characterize  this  form  of  exor- 
dium. E.  g.,  Charles  Simeon  has  a  sermon  on 
Tim.  3:16 — "Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness," 
which  he  introduces  in  this  way,  viz. :  "Infidels 
have  said,  Where  mystery  begins,  religion  ends." 
And  he  goes  on  to  show  that  this  is  not  true;  and 
his  argument  brings  him  right  up  to  the  text. 

7.  Observational  introductions.  In  this  form 
of  exordium  one  or  more  pertinent  observations  are 
made,  which  lead  directly  to  the  text.  These  ob- 
servations must  not  be  loose  and  indefinite,  but 
sprightly,  forcible,  and  pointed,  and  connected  with 
the  text  by  an  easy  nexus  of  thought. 

There  are  three  species  of  this  kind  of  exor- 
dium : 

(i)  An  observation  of  which  the  text  is  an 
example.  E.  g.,  Taylor  on  Acts  16:25,  Paul  and 
Silas  singing  in  prison,  begins  in  this  way,  "The 


58  SERMON  BUILDING 

Christian  looks  beyond  this  world  for  happiness, 
but  he  has  sources  of  happiness  even  now,  of 
which  the  world  knows  nothing.  We  have  an 
illustration  of  this  truth  in  the  text." 

(2)  An  observation  showing  some  great  want, 
and  how  it  is  met  in  the  text.  E.  g.,  Barrow's 
sermon  on  Prov.  10:9 — "He  that  walketh  up- 
rightly walketh  surely" — begins,  "Men  are  every- 
where seeking  security  and  safe  walking.  Here 
in  the  text  is  a  sound  maxim  to  guide  in  a  safe 
sure  way." 

(3)  An  observation  showing  the  special  im- 
portance of  the  text.  E.  g.,  Blair  on  Prov.  4:23, 
"Keep  thy  heart  with  all  diligence,  for  out  of  it 
are  the  issues  of  life."  Begins  with  the  observa- 
tion, "Men  commonly  think  it  enough  to  keep  the 
outward  life  right;  the  text  shows  that  this  is  not 
true." 

8.  Antithetical  introductions.  In  this  form  of 
exordium  the  thought  is  in  direct  contrast  with 
that  of  the  text.  E.  g.,  Simeon  on  the  "Equivoca- 
tion of  Abraham" — Gen.  20:9,  in  his  introduction 
shows  the  contrast  of  the  patriarch's  past  life  of 
uprightness  with  his  present  defection  from  the 
path  of  rectitude. 

9.  Affinitive  introductions.  This  form  of  ex- 
ordium is  just  the  opposite  of  the  one  last  men- 
tioned. E.  g.,  A  sermon  on  Sanctification  might 
well  have  in  the  introduction  some  brief  statement 
cf  the  difference  between  it  and  Justification. 


BEGINNING  AND  THE  ENDING      59 

10.  Interrogative  introductions.  In  this  form 
of  introduction  the  preacher  starts  a  question  the 
answer  to  which  is  given  in  the  text,  e.  g.,  Pay  son 
on  Isaiah  53:11,  "He  shall  see  of  the  travail  of 
his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied,"  raises  the  ques- 
tion, What  adequate  motive  explains  the  Saviour's 
sacrificial  death — and  finds  the  answer  in  the  text. 

These  are  the  ten  different  kinds  or  forms  of 
introductions.  It  has  been  well  said,  "They  are 
not  theoretical,  but  eminently  practical,"  and  in 
the  constant  and  conscientious  use  of  them  great 
variety  and  interest  will  mark  the  beginnings  of 
your  discourses.  The  attention  of  your  people  will 
be  secured  from  the  opening  sentence;  and  all  will 
be  on  the  qui  vive  to  note  how  you  are  going  to 
open  up  the  Word  of  God  as  set  forth  in  your 
chosen  text.  These  opening  sentences  must  be 
brief;  and  you  must  rivet  the  attention  of  your 
people  from  the  very  beginning. 

II.       THE   CONCLUSION 

The  old  rhetoricians  divided  the  Peroration,  as 
they  called  the  conclusion  of  a  public  discourse, 
into  two  parts — the  Recapitulation,  and  the  Ap- 
plication. This  is  not  a  bad  disposition  of  the 
essential  parts  of  the  conclusion  of  a  sermon. 

I.  The  Recapitulation.  Not  always  necessary, 
this  is  often  of  considerable  importance  in  cases 
where  divisions  have  been  used,  and  no  announce- 


6o  SERMON  BUILDING 

ment  has  been  made  of  them  beforehand.  The 
recapitulation  should  be  brief  and  well-studied — 
its  value  and  power  lying  in  its  clearness,  and 
terseness,  and  completeness.  In  this  way  your 
people  will  be  able  to  carry  away  at  least  the  bones 
of  your  discourse.  And  in  this  way,  too,  the  pulpit 
can  best  fulfill  its  function  as  a  teaching  agency 
in  the  propogation  of  the  Gospel. 

2.  The  Application.  The  great  object  of  the 
sermon  is  to  bring  the  mighty  truths  of  the  Gospel 
into  the  region  of  religious  experience  and  daily 
life.  To  do  this  the  clincher  of  the  sermon  is 
the  application.  And  this  is  the  most  important 
and  difficult  part  of  the  discourse. 

This  application  is  fourfold : 

1.  To  the  Intellect. 

2.  To  the  Conscience. 

3.  To  the  Affections. 

4.  To  the  Will. 

Not  always  is  the  application  to  be  made  to  all 
these  departments  of  the  soul,  but  always  to  one 
or  more  of  them.  And  this  application  should  be 
brief,  pointed,  forceful,  and  solemn. 


VI 

THE  EXPOSITORY  SERMON 

EXPOSITORY  preaching,  of  a  certain  kind, 
is  the  refuge  of  the  lazy  minister.     It  is 
so  easy  to  select  a  passage  of  some  length 
—the  longer  the  better— and  occupy  the  prescribed 
time  with  a  few  pious  remarks  on  the  separate 
verses. 

But  to  have  acquired  the  ability  for,  and  some 
facility  in,  genuine  exposition  of  Holy  Scripture 
is  to  have  reached  the  smmnum  homim  of  pulpit 
discourse.  There  is  no  more  fruitful  kind  of  ser- 
monizing than  genuine  exposition. 
Expository  discourses  are  of  three  kinds,  viz. : 

I.      SIMPLE  EXPOSITION 

Such  was  the  preaching  of  Ezra  in  Nehemiah's 
day  (Neh.  8:8),  when  *'he  stood  on  a  pulpit  of 
wood,"  "And  they  read  in  the  book,  in  the  law 
of  God,  distinctly;  and  they  gave  the  sense,  so 
that  they  understood  the  reading."  This  kind  of 
exposition  is  specially  liable  to  abuse  as  already 
indicated. 

6i 


62  SERMON  BUILDING 

A  minister  of  my  acquaintance  gave  five  services 
to  an  exposition  of  the  five  chapters  of  the  epistle 
of  James.  Now  we  know  that  James  is  just  full 
of  nuggets  of  gold.  Hardly  any  five  chapters  of 
the  New  Testament  furnish  so  many  fruitful  texts 
as  these  five.  But  they  are  full  of  nuggets  separate 
and  special  and  precious.  It  is  impossible  to  dis- 
cover any  one  dominant  thought  running  through 
the  different  and  separate  chapters.  So  our  brother 
had  to  content  himself  with  a  few  reflections  on 
special  and  salient  verses  of  each  chapter;  and  at 
the  end  of  the  series  his  people  had  not  received 
any  clear  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  epistle.  It 
was  not  the  minister's  fault,  except  in  choosing 
James  for  so  short  a  series  of  expositions. 

The  fact  is,  the  little  book  is  not  adapted  to 
this  kind  of  exposition. 

II.      THE  LECTURE 

This  differs  from  the  simple  Exposition  in  call- 
ing for  a  shorter  passage,  and  a  more  regular  and 
systematic  treatment.  There  are  two  principal 
forms  of  the  lecture: 

I.  That  in  which  the  natural  order  of  the 
words  or  thought  guides  the  exposition.  E.  g.,  The 
Thanksgiving  of  Ephesians  1 13 — Where  we  have 
I.  Thanksgiving  to  God;  2.  The  special  character 
in  which  He  elicits  our  Thanksgiving;  3.  The  cause 
of  the  Thanksgiving;  4.  The  blessing  bestowed; 


THE  EXPOSITORY  SERMON         63 

5.  The  measure  in  which  it  is  imparted;  6.  The 
place  of  its  enjoyment;  and  7.  The  medium  of  its 
communication. 

Not  every  passage  of  Scripture  lends  itself  to 
this  form  of  the  lecture. 

2.  That  in  which  the  passage  is  opened  up  in 
a  running  comment  and  then  its  fitting  lessons 
are  drawn  out  and  enforced.  E.  g.,  Dr.  Mason  on 
the  "Repentance  and  Suicide  of  Judas,"  Matt 
(^'j'.  1-5)  First  expounds  the  passage  and  then 
emphasizes  these  four  lessons,  viz.,  (i)  The  sins 
of  men  lead  often  to  results  that  they  do  not  an- 
ticipate. (2)  It  is  an  accursed  maxim  that  the 
end  justifies  the  means.  (3)  The  hardening  power 
of  sin.     (4)  The  power  of  a  guilty  conscience. 

This  form  of  the  lecture  is,  as  you  may  remem- 
ber, like  the  observational  divisions  of  a  regular 
sermon. 


III.       THE  TEXT  SERMON 

This  is  a  form  of  expository  preaching  in  which 
the  whole  passage  is  treated  just  as  a  sermon 
treats  a  single  text.  This,  I  believe,  is  the  highest 
and  best  form  of  sermonizing.  It  is  equally  ap- 
plicable to  short  and  long  passages  of  the  Word 
of  God.  In  the  use  of  it  the  preacher  and  people 
both  become  familiar  with  large  portions  God's 
truth.  And  this  is  greatly  needed  in  our  day. 
With  all  our  boasted  Bible  study  I  fear  our  people's 


64  SERMON  BUILDING 

knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  is  both  limited  in  ex- 
tent and  superficial  in  character.  The  Holy  Spirit, 
too,  will  put  honor  on  the  minister  who  puts  honor 
on  His  Word. 

Perhaps  I  can  give  you  an  idea  of  this  form 
of  the  expository  sermon  by  dwelling  on  some 
examples  drawn  from  my  own  sermon-barrel.  To 
select  short  passages  first,  let  us  take 

The  Christian's  Hope,     i  Peter  1:3-5 

1.  The  object  of  it:  (i)  An  Inheritance.  (2) 
Not  corruptible.  (3)  Notdefilable.  (4)  Not  fading. 
(5)  Reserved  in  heaven. 

2.  The  ground  of  it:  (i)  The  resurrection  of 
Christ.  (2)  The  new  birth  of  the  soul. 

Timely  Christian  ^Activity.    Matthew  14:34-36 

1.  Ground  of  it — Their  knowledge  of  Christ. 

2.  The  Opportunity  for  it — The  Saviour's 
Visit. 

3.  The  Spirit  of  it — Kind  interest  in  others. 

4.  The  Result  of  it — The  Healing  of  the  dis- 
eased. 

Then  the  closing  address  to  the  unsaved:  You 
must  "touch,"  if  you  would  be  made  whole. 

This  passage  and  theme  are  specially  suitable 
for  seasons  of  revival  and  religious  services. 

Sometimes  we  may  wish  to  treat  longer  pas- 
sages.   So  let  us  take 


THE  EXPOSITORY  SERMON         65 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount.    Matthew  5,  6  and  7 

Dr.  J.  Oswald  Dykes  published  three  little  books 
on  the  sermon  with  the  titles — '^Beatitudes  of  the 
Kingdom,"  "The  Laws  of  the  Kingdom/'  and 
"The  Relations  of  the  Kingdom."  I  think  his 
analysis  might  be  improved  on  after  this  manner, 
viz. — We  have  here  The  Inaugural  of  the  King. 

I.  The  Citizens  of  the  Kingdom. 

1.  Their  blessed  character  and  experience, 

(5:3-12). 
(i)  In  entering  the  kingdom,  (3-6). 
(2)  Their  life  in  the  kingdom,  (7-12). 

2.  Their  salutary  influence  on  the  world, 

(5:  13-16). 
(i)  As  the  salt  of  the  earth,  (13). 
(2)  As  the  light  of  the  world,  ( 14-16). 

II.  The  Laws  of  the  Kingdom. 

1.  Not  destruction,  but  fulfillment. 

With  five  illustrations,    (5:  21-48). 
(i)       Murder — (2)      Adultery — (3) 

Oaths — (4)   Retaliation — (5)   Love 

to  enemies. 

2.  Motive  Determines  Character. 

With  three  illustrations,    (6:  1-18). 
( I )     Almsgiving —  ( 2  )     Prayer —  (  3  ) 
Fasting. 

3.  The  Right  Use  of  the  World. 

With  two  illustrations,   (6:  19-34). 


66  SERMON  BUILDING 

(i)  Inordinate  love  of  the  world — (2) 
Undue  anxiety  about  the  world. 
4.     Mistaken  and  Unrighteous  Judgments. 

With  three  illustrations,    (7:    1-6). 

(i)  Fault-finding — (2)  Correction  of 
evils — (3)  Well-doing. 

III.     The  Way  Into  the  Kingdom. 

1,  Positive  directions,    (7:   1-14). 

Seeking  (i)  In  the  spirit  of  earnest- 
ness— (2)  In  the  spirit  of  love — 
(3)  In  the  spirit  of  Self-denial. 

The  contrasted  ways — The  Broad  and 
the  Narrow. 

2.  Warnings,   (7:15-23). 

(i)  Against  false  teachers  and  de- 
ceivers—  (2)  Against  bad  practice, 
and  self-deception. 
The  Conclusion — The  Contrasted  Pic- 
tures :  ( I )  The  House  on  the  Rock ; 
(2)  The  House  on  the  Sand. 
Again,  let  us  take 

;    The  Awakening  at  Ephesu^s.     Acts  19:1-20 

1.  The  Divine  Source  of  It,  Acts  19:2. 

2.  The  Doctrinal  Foundation  of  It,  Acts 

20:21. 

3.  The  Small  Beginning  of  It,  Acts  19:7. 

4.  The  Opposition  to  It,  Acts  19:13. 

5.  The  Counterfeiting  of  It,  Acts  19:13. 


THE  EXPOSITORY  SERMON  67 

6.     The    Genuine    Character    of    It,    Acts 
19:20. 
.  Yet  once  more,  let  us  take 

V-»— 

]    The  Awakening  of  a  Soul.     John  4:  1-26 

1.  The  Awakening  of  Attention. 

2.  The  Awakening  of  Reflection. 

3.  The  Awakening  of  Conscience. 

4.  The  Awakening  of  Faith. 

These  five  outlines  of  expository  sermons  I 
have  given  as  specimens  of  the  highest  type  of 
pulpit  discourse.  If  you  want  to  wear  you  will 
preach  a  great  deal  in  this  way.  It  will  not  be  an 
easy  way.  It  will  take  a  vast  amount  of  Bible 
study  to  find  and  expound  passages  suited  to  this 
kind  of  preaching. 

A  few  words  by  way  of  caution  may  fittingly 
close  this  talk  on  the  expository  Sermon. 

1.  The  passage  of  Scripture  you  select  must 
he  suited  to  this  form  of  sermon. 

2.  Your  analysis  of  the  text  must  he  clear  as 
a  sunbeam. 

3.  You  must  be  sure  to  get  hold  of  the  leading 
idea  of  the  passage. 

4.  You  must  group  in  some  natural  or  logical 
order  all  the  subordinate  thoughts  of  the  text. 

5.  You  must  make  constant  faithful  and  earn- 
est application  of  the  truth,  as  you  go  on. 


VII 

'      BIOGRAPHICAL  PREACHING 

IN  reviewing  a  ministry  of  fifty  years,  more 
than  forty  of  which  were  spent  in  the  pulpit, 
I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  unpleasant  surprise 
as  I  came  to  realize  that  I  had  made  comparatively 
so  little  use  of  Scripture  Biography  in  my  preach- 
ing. The  Bible  is  a  wonderful  book  of  wonderful 
biographies.  By  this  'Tamiliar  Talk  on  Biograph- 
ical Preaching''  I  would  save  you,  my  brethren, 
from  the  pain  of  such  a  retrospect. 

This  kind  of  preaching  is  specially  adapted  to 
all  ethical  subjects,  temperance  and  other  reforms, 
and  the  civic  virtues,  and  indeed  everything  per- 
taining to  a  man's  relations  to  his  fellow-man. 
People  like  to  see  truth  incarnated  in  character. 
And  you  can  get  a  hearing  on  some  topics  when 
linked  in  with  a  Biblical  character,  when  they 
would  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  them,  if  presented  in  a 
plain  didactic  way.  For  example,  You  can  get 
the  public  ear  now-a-days  on  temperance  almost 
anywhere  and  at  any  time ;  but  the  time  was  when 
this  topic  could  be  most  fruitfully  discussed  in  the 
pulpit  only  in  connection  with  some  Biblical  char- 

68 


BIOGRAPHICAL  PREACHING         69 

acter  overcome  with  wine,  as  Noah,  or  Nadab  and 
Abihu,  or  some  teetotaler  as  Jonadab,  the  son  of 
Rechab.  Some  lessons  from  life  and  character 
will  almost  always  attract  the  attention  of  men. 

More  than  thirty  years  ago  Dr.  Robert 
Mackenzie,  our  Secretary  of  the  College  Board, 
was  pastor  of  the  Howard  Church  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  during  the  winter  in  which  I  supplied 
the  pulpit  of  the  First  Church  of  that  city,  he 
preached  a  series  of  biographical  sermons  on  Sab- 
bath evenings  to  audiences  of  men  alone  number- 
ing fifteen  hundred.  He  did  not  confine  himself  to 
Scripture  Characters,  but  took  also  prominent 
leaders  of  the  Church,  like  Luther,  Melancthon, 
Calvin  and  Knox,  Savonarola  and  Francis  d'Assisi. 
Some  think  he  made  a  mistake  in  this,  and  thought 
that  for  a  Christian  pulpit  and  in  a  Sabbath  service, 
he  would  have  done  better  to  confine  himself  to 
Bible  Characters  alone.  For  within  the  limits  of 
the  Divine  Revelation  the  field  is  well-nigh  bound- 
less, and  the  subjects  of  most  entrancing  interest. 

What  can  be  done  in  this  line  of  preaching  I 
can  perhaps  best  indicate  by  touching  upon  a  few 
courses  of  Biographical  Sermons,  all  of  which  can 
be  made  both  useful  and  interesting,  and  most  of 
which  I  have  tested  in  my  own  ministry. 

I.       SOME  SCENES  IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS 

Such  a  series  of  discourses  would  naturally  come 
first  and  would  be  found  amazingly  fruitful  and 


70  SERMON  BUILDING 

engaging.  The  greatest  difficulty  would  be  in  mak- 
ing a  selection  of  scenes  in  a  life  so  full  of  im- 
pressive and  marvelous  events. 

II.      THE  APOSTLES  OF  OUR  LORD 

These,  some  with  more,  and  some  with  less,  de- 
tail, would  furnish  topics  not  less  influential  than 
entertaining.  What  a  biography,  for  example, 
would  be  the  Life  of  the  Apostle  Peter. 

III.     THE   LIFE   AND  TIMES   OF   AHAB 

The  chapters  of  the  book  of  Kings  devoted  to 
this  man  set  forth  the  career  of  a  mediocre,  but 
extremely  wicked  ruler,  around  whom  the  his- 
torian has  grouped  a  company  of  great  characters, 
whose  greatness  makes  the  reign  of  Ahab  more 
illustrious  than  any  other  of  the  Northern  King- 
dom. The  separate  studies  would  be,  (i)  Ahab 
and  EHjah,  (2)  Ahab  and  Jezebel,  (3)  Ahab  and 
Naboth,  and  (4)  Ahab  and  Micaiah.  And  the 
scenes  portrayed  in  each  of  these  studies  are  full 
of  dramatic  interest  and  fire. 

IV.    CHARACTERS  IN  COUPLES 

One  of  the  most  notable  features  of  Scripture 
Biographies  is  the  fact  that  they  so  often  appear 
in  pairs.  This  feature  runs  through  almost  the 
entire  volume  of  the  Scriptures.  We  have,  for 
example,  (i)  Cain  and  Abel,  (2)  Jacob  and  Esau, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  PREACHING  71 

(3)  Moses  and  Aaron,  (4)  Balak  and  Balaam,  (5) 
Orpah  and  Ruth,  (6)  David  and  Jonathan,  (7) 
Elijah  and  Elisha,  (8)  Martha  and  Mary,  (9) 
Peter  and  John,  and  (10)  Paul  and  Barnabas,  j 

Here  are  ten  pairs  of  characters,  admitting  of 
the  most  diverse  and  interesting  treatment.  Some- 
times it  might  be  comparison,  sometimes  a  con- 
trast, of  one  with  another.  Sometimes  it  might 
be  taking  the  light  of  the  one  and  with  it  illuminat- 
ing the  other. 

Over  thirty  years  ago  I  wrote  and  preached  fif- 
teen such  biographical  studies,  which  Randolph 
thought  were  worth  publishing  under  the  title 
which  he  suggested  of  ''Companion  Characters." 

V.    THE  HEBREW  GIANTS 

I.  Ahralmm,  the  ''Friend  of  God."  2.  Moses, 
"Lawgiver  and  Judge."  3.  David,  "Sweet  Singer 
of  Israel."    4.  Isaiah,  "The  Evangelical  Prophet."' 

If  you  will  read  Dr.  John  Lord's  four  illuminat- 
ing lectures  on  these  four  great  men,  in  his  "Bea- 
con Lights  of  History,"  you  will  be  convinced  that 
this  course  of  Biographical  Sermons  is  well  named. 
These  are  the  great  men  on  the  track,  long  and 
checkered,  of  Israel's  wondrous  story. 

VI.    HEBREW  WOMEN 

I.  Sarah,  The  woman  who  laughed  at  the 
thought  of  an  old  woman's  becoming  a  mother. 


72  SERMON  BUILDING 

2.  Rebekah,  The  scheming  mother,  helping  and 
hindering  Providence.  3.  Jochebed,  A  mother 
hired  by  the  King's  daughter  to  nurse  her  own 
son.  4.  Hannah,  Lending  her  son  to  the  Lord. 
5.  Ruth,  Longing  for  a  home  among  the  people 
of  God.  6.  Eunice,  A  faithful  woman  unknown 
to  herself  preparing  Paul's  most  beloved  and  effi- 
cient helper. 

JiM. 

VII.     THE   GATE-KEEPERS   OF  THE  AGES 

r* 

I.  Joshua,  Finishing  the  Wanderings,  and  set- 
tling Israel  in  Canaan.  2.  John  the  Baptist,  Shut- 
ting the  gates  of  the  Jewish  era,  and  opening  the 
portals  of  the  Gospel  age.  3.  Paitl,  The  great  mis- 
sionary and  pioneer  of  world-wide  evangelism. 

VIII.     BIBLICAL  ETCHINGS  * 

I.  Oman,  the  Jebusite,  The  Seller  who  would 
be  the  Giver  of  the  Temple  site.  2.  Jabes,  more 
honorable  than  his  brethren,  whom  his  mother  bare 
in  sorrow,  but  whose  answered  prayer  was  the 
assurance  of  his  prosperity.  3.  Nebat,  mentioned 
many  times  in  Israel's  chronicles,  but  whose  only 
title  to  fame  lies  in  the  fact  that  he  was  the  father 
of  a  wicked  son,  "J^reboam  the  son  of  Nebat,  who 

*Dr.  Austen  Phelps'  Studies  in  the  Old  Testament,  in  twenty-four 
chapters,  gives  suggestive  illustrations  of  the  way  in  which  fruitful  and 
impressive  lessons  may  be  drawn  from  the  lives  and  characters  of  men 
more  or  less  noted  in  the  Hebrew  story.  His  book  is  probably  now  out 
of  print.     It  deserves  republication. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  PREACHING  73 

did  sin  and  made  Israel  to  sin."  4.  Demas,  the 
Apostate,  one  time  helpful  follower  of  Paul,  who 
afterward  foresook  him  and  went  his  way  to  the 
world.  5.  Barzillai,  the  aged  friend  of  David,  who 
preferred  his  own  home  to  all  the  glamor  of  roy- 
alty in  the  Court  of  Jerusalem.  6.  Onesiphorus, 
who  in  Rome  sought  out  the  prisoner  Paul,  and 
ministered  to  his  necessities,  not  being  ashamed  of 
his  chain,  and  receives  the  benediction  of  his  aged 
friend.  7.  Onesimiis,  the  runaway  slave,  con- 
verted through  Paul's  ministry,  and  who  gave  him- 
self to  ministering  to  the  Roman  Prisoner,  and 
then  went  back  to  his  master  with  the  Apostle's 
benediction  and  commendation.  8.  Philemon, 
whose  name  is  attached  to  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting little  letters  of  our  beloved  Paul. 

IX.    JOHN  THE  BAPTIST 

I.  The  Preparation.     2.  The  Forerunner.     3. 
The  Herald.    4.  The  Martyr. 


VIII 
SPIRITUAL  POWER 

THIRTY  years  ago  this  month  I  was  called 
upon  to  address  the  students  of  Lane  Sem- 
inary, the  Rev.  Dr.  Heron,  now  pastor  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Wooster,  being 
at  that  time  the  presiding  officer  of  the  student 
body.  I  chose  to  speak  on  the  theme  before  us 
today. 

A  few  years  later  it  fell  to  my  lot  as  chairman 
of  the  examining  committee  to  address  the  students 
of  the  Western  Theological  Seminary ;  and  I  chose 
the  same  theme,  and  largely  the  same  line  of 
thought. 

If  this  third  time  I  choose  the  same  topic  in 
closing  these  ^'Familiar  Talks  on  Sermon  Build- 
ing," you  will  accurately  gauge  my  estimate  of 
the  immense  importance  of  the  theme. 

It  is  the  great  question,  especially  to  you,  young 
brethren.  None  greater  will  ever  meet  you  in 
your  theological  or  ministerial  studies.  It  is  the 
greatest  and  most  solemn  question  you  have  ever 
considered    since    you    first    met    the    challenge, 

74 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  75 

"Choose  ye  this  day,  whom  ye  will  serve,"  How 
can  I  obtain  Spiritual  power? 

Commissioned  from  the  Throne  to  bear  the  tid- 
ings of  life  to  my  dying  fellow-men, 

I.  Wherein  resides  that  mysterious,  peculiar  and 
Divine  power,  ivhich  shall  take  my  human  words, 
and  carry  them  with  super-human  might  home  to 
human  hearts,  making  feeble  me  the  instrument  of 
numerous  and  powerful  conversions  from  the 
world,  and  of  greatly  increased  holiness  among  the 
saints  of  God? 

IL  In  what  sphere  of  daily  life,  or  ministerial 
duty,  does  the  possession  of  this  power  especially 
manifest  itself f 

III.  And  more  than  all,  by  what  means,  and  in 
what  zvay,  shall  I  become  invested  with  this  blessed 
and  needful  power f 

We  shall  not  long  ponder  these  inquiries,  with- 
out thinking  of  that  gracious  promise  of  the  risen 
Saviour,  uttered  in  His  final  and  tender  interview 
with  His  disciples:  "Ye  shall  receive  power,  after 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you;  and  ye 
shall  be  my  witnesses."  In  the  methods  of  its 
fulfillment  to  them  we  may  find  the  assurance  of 
its  realization  by  us.  Though  spoken  to  the  apos- 
tles, and  first  made  good  to  the  whole  company 
of  primitive  believers,  the  promise  is  as  true  of  us, 
as  of  the  little  company,  who  on  the  heights  of 
Bethany,  saw,  with  adoring  vision,  the  opening 
clouds  receive  the  ascending  Saviour.    Can  we  do 


76  SERMON  BUILDING 

better  than  follow  its  radiant  lines,  as  we  seek  an 
answer  to  the  questions  we  have  raised? 

All  true  ambassadors  for  Christ,  and  not  less 
all  humble  and  spiritual  minds,  can  attest  the  fact 
that  the  ministry  of  the  Word  is  at  times  attended 
by  a  power,  of  which  at  other  times  it  is  plainly 
and  sadly  bereft.  That  power  is  seen  in  the  clear 
and  gracious  conversion  of  the  impenitent,  or  in 
the  equally  manifest  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ, 
the  true  and  cheering  quickening  of  God's  people 
in  all  Christian  graces  and  duties. 
I  The  absence  of  this  power,  unnoticed  by  the 
iWorldly  mind,  is  hardly  less  evident  to  all  conse- 
crated souls.  A  man's  ministry  is  like  a  drifting 
vessel.  The  captain  casts  out  one  anchor  after  an- 
other ;  but  there  is  no  taking  hold.  So,  the  anchor 
flukes  of  the  Gospel  message  seem  to  double  back. 
There  is  no  grappling  with  anything  in  the  sea  of 
conscience,  nor  around  the  foundations  of  the 
spiritual  nature.  An  unseen  but  powerful  current 
bears  the  messenger  of  God  continually  and  help- 
lessly away.  Who  can  be  more  helpless  than  the 
ship-master,  the  anchor  of  whose  vessel  drags? 
Who  is  so  utterly  weak  as  the  minister  of  Christ, 
from  whom  this  Heavenly  Power  is  withheld? 

But  how  difficult  to  define  what  this  spiritual 
power  is !  It  is  not  necessarily  to  be  found  in  the 
harmonious  condition  of  the  Church,  and  its  hearty 
co-working  with  him  who  ministers  at  the  altar. 
This  is,  indeed,  oftentimes  one  of  the  most  blessed 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  77 

results  of  the  presence  and  influence  of  this  power. 
But  sometimes,  alas !  that  it  must  be  said,  ministers 
and  people  agree  together  (not,  indeed,  by  any 
written  contract  or  spoken  words,  yet  really  and 
truly,  though  tacitly)  to  be  satisfied  with  a  formal 
and  unspiritual  state.  The  only  Churches  of  the 
apocalyptical  seven,  which  were  not  troubled  by  con- 
flict with  heresy  in  doctrine  or  immorality  in  life, 
were  the  two  whose  unsatisfactory  spiritual  condi- 
tion is  most  severely  censured  by  Him  who  ever 
walks  in  the  midst  of  the  golden  candlesticks. 
There  was  harmony  there,  and  co-working,  but  no 
spiritual  power! 

Nor  yet  is  this  power  found  in  the  clear  state- 
ment and  able  exposition  of  Christian  doctrines. 
Certainly  it  is  true  that  nothing  so  clarifies  and 
invigorates  our  intellectual  grasp  of  the  truth  as 
the  presence  and  possession  of  this  power.  But 
we  may  grasp  the  truth  when  the  truth  does  not 
grasp  us!  There  may  be  a  real  delight,  on  the 
part  of  the  minister,  in  the  unfolding  of  the  truth; 
and  on  the  part  of  the  people,  there  may  be  a 
genuine  and  universal  interest  in,  and  full  consent- 
ing attention  to,  the  development  of  an  argument, 
or  the  application  of  an  analogy,  or  the  felicitous 
use  of  an  illustration;  and  the  whole  performance 
be  a  purely  intellectual  exercise,  as  marked  by  the 
triumphant  tread  of  merely  mental  prowess,  as 
it  is  conspicuous  for  the  absence  of  true  spiritual 
power. 


78  SERMON  BUILDING 

Nor  again,  is  this  power  manifest  in  the  merely- 
earnest  dehvery  of  the  message.  There  is  an  earn- 
estness born  of  the  conscious  presence  and  help  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  a  spirit  not  exhausted  by 
the  public  utterance  of  the  message.  It  runs  out 
into  all  the  channels  of  the  life.  But  that  other 
(shall  I  call  it  spurious  earnestness?  let  me  rather 
say)  defective  earnestness,  which  we  ministers  not 
un  frequently  exhibit  in  the  sacred  desk,  O  how 
easily  we  drift  into  it !  How  subtlely  the  counter- 
feit cheats  us,  and  leads  us  to  the  utterance  of  the 
highest  and  holiest  messages,  with  only  the  warmth 
of  mere  animal  spirits,  or  elocutionary  zeal,  while 
there  is  no  taking  hold  of  the  hiding  of  God's 
omnipotent  and  pleading  power ! 

But  when  that  power  of  God  is  present,  there 
is  a  different  state  of  things.  And  the  change  is 
recognized  and  hailed  with  joy  by  all  devoted 
souls,  even  as  the  watcher  of  the  night  marks  the 
glinting  of  the  dawn  that,  with  song  of  birds  and 
nature's  every  opening  eye,  presages  the  coming 
of  the  day.  There  may  be  no  more  harmony  ap- 
parent between  the  pulpit  and  the  pew;  there  may 
be  no  more  nor  greater  clearness  of  statement  nor 
apprehension  of  Christian  doctrine;  there  may  be 
no  outward  signs  of  earnestness  unseen  before: 
but  there  will  be  present,  sometimes,  I  think,  even 
possibly  unknown  to  the  consciousness  of  either 
speaker  or  hearer,  a  mighty  factor  making  direct 
and  powerful  application  of  the  truth  to  the  con- 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  79 

science.  Not  long,  however,  will  such  unseen  and 
almighty  agent  remain  to  men  unknown.  Soon 
they  will  recognize,  what  now  we  know,  that  here 
resides  the  power  from  on  High,  the  presence  and 
working  of  a  Divine  Agent,  who,  making  use  of 
all  our  natural  and  acquired  abilities  and  talents, 
and  sometimes  wholly  independent  of  them,  and 
possibly  even  in  spite  of  them,  carries  the  truth 
home  in  saving  and  sanctifying  power.  Without 
Him  we  are  helpless. 

Thus  far  I  have  spoken  of  this  power  largely  in 
terms  descriptive  of  the  effects  produced  by  it  upon 
those  to  whom  we  bring  the  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy.  We  must  now  bring  the  subject  nearer,  by 
contemplating  the  working  of  this  power  upon  our- 
selves. Here  we  meet  our  second  question,  and 
come  to  consider, 

In  what  sphere  of  daily  life,  or  methods 
of  ministerial  duty,  the  possession  of  this 
power  specially  manifests  itself? 

And  the  answer  may  fittingly  start  again  from 
Bethany. 

We  see  that  eager  little  company,  not  yet  re- 
covered from  the  joyful  surprise  of  the  resurrec- 
tion morning,  clustering  around  their  Saviour  soon 
to  be  taken  up  out  of  their  sight.  They  were  won- 
dering about  the  Kingdom.  Their  minds  were 
occupied  with  the  thought  that  perhaps  now  was 
the  time.    They  say,  ''Lord,  wilt  Thou  at  this  time 


8o  SERMON  BXnLDING 

restore  again  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ?"  Gently  but 
firmly  our  Lord  represses  their  unspiritual  curios- 
ity, an  ever  abiding  and  pertinent  rebuke  of  all 
vain  and  curious  wonderings  about  the  ''times  and 
the  seasons,"  and  emphasizing  the  work  to  be  done, 
He  leaves  with  them  this  gracious  promise  of 
divine  endowment  of  power  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  that  work,  and  foretells  their  important 
function  and  duty  as  witnesses  of  their  Lord.  How 
gloriously  did  those  timid  men,  within  a  few  days, 
fulfill  their  office-work  as  witnesses  for  Christ! 

The  promise  and  prophecy  are  ours  as  well 
as  theirs.  The  work  of  the  Church,  in  our  day,  as 
truly  as  in  the  beginning,  is  a  work  of  witness- 
bearing.  This  is  pre-eminently  true  of  the  min- 
istry. We  are  witnesses.  We  bear  testimony  to 
great  and  solemn  facts.  We  have  the  true  and 
only  apostolical  succession.  The  apostles  were  wit- 
nesses to  facts;  and  they  received  this  promise  to 
help  them  in  their  testimony.  We  inherit  their 
promise  that  we  may  continue  their  work.  They 
attested  the  fundamental  facts  of  our  holy  religion, 
especially  the  one  crowning  and  blessed  fact  of 
the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  it  would  be 
the  baldest  and  most  barren  interpretation  of  this 
Scripture  to  say  they  received  this  promise  and 
needed  this  power  only  to  tell  the  story  of  that 
resurrection.  ''With  great  power  gave  the  apostles 
witness  of  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 
And  the  result  was  that  "great  grace  was  upon 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  8i 

them  all,"  sinners  were  converted  and  saints  were 
edified.  Their  work  was  not  simply  to  relate  the 
story  of  the  resurrection,  but  to  set  forth  the  great 
fact  as  the  key-stone  in  the  grand  arch  of  Christian 
doctrine.  And  their  preaching  makes  it  plain  that 
they  emphasized  the  atonement  in  the  blood  of 
Jesus,  regeneration  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  faith  in  the  risen,  living  Saviour,  as 
integral  parts  and  essential  facts  of  this  super- 
natural system. 

We  take  up  their  testimony  as  to  these  funda- 
mental truths.  The  solitary  fact  of  the  resurrec- 
tion we  cannot  attest  as  they  attested  it,  because 
we  did  not  witness  it  as  they  witnessed  it.  But  we 
are  competent  witnesses  as  to  other  fundamental 
truths.  We  have  no  business  to  be  either  in  the 
ministry,  nor  looking  forward  to  the  ministry,  if 
we  cannot  certify  as  witnesses  the  reality  of  Divine 
pardon  and  renewal,  of  adoption  and  faith.  And 
he  who  can  attest  these  blessed  experiences  of  the 
inner  life,  is,  in  a  true  and  fruitful  sense,  a  com- 
petent witness  of  the  fact  that  He,  who  once  was 
dead  is  now  alive  again,  and  lives  forevermore. 
The  sun  may  be  for  days  and  even  weeks  behind 
the  April  clouds;  but  every  springing  grass-blade 
and  opening  flower  will  testify  that  he  is  on  his 
northern  course. 

We  are  witnesses  of  these  things!  And  in  the 
fulfillment  of  this  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
power  is  given  us  to  testify  as  to  these  things  in 


82  SERMON  BUILDING 

behalf  of  Christ.  The  pertinent  and  urgent  question 
then  for  all  of  us,  my  brethren,  is  not  merely,  Are 
we  preaching  the  Gospel  ?  but  Are  we  preaching  it 
as  witnesses?  And  the  question  is  of  immense 
moment  to  you,  who  have  yet  to  determine  what 
shall  be  the  character  of  your  ministry. 

What  are  the  essential  requisites  of  real  testi- 
mony? //  must,  first  of  all,  be  truthful.  A  clear 
apprehension  of  the  Gospel  and  a  clear  presentation 
of  it  to  the  people,  and  all  in  the  right  spirit,  and  in 
the  right  tone;  this  by  all  means  must  be  accom- 
plished; and  in  these  particulars,  perhaps,  we  do 
not  commonly  come  short  of  some  high  standard. 
But  can  we  say  as  much,  when  we  remember  that 
a  witness  must  tell  the  whole  truth  ?  I  am  wonder- 
ing if  we  ministers  so  testify  for  Christ.  Is  there 
no  shrinking  from  fundamental  because  unpopular 
doctrines?  Is  there  no  conscious  trending  with 
the  drift  of  the  times,  if  not  in  forget  fulness,  yet 
in  feebleness  of  grasp,  of  the  central  verities  of 
our  faith? 

The  question  suggests  another  requisite  of  tes- 
timony: It  must  be  experimental.  Here  is  pre- 
eminently the  region  of  our  failure.  It  is  so  easy 
to  drop  down  from  the  lofty  plane,  where  "we 
speak  that  we  do  know,  and  testify  that  which  we 
have  seen,"  to  the  lower  level  of  retailing  that 
which  is  merely  hearsay  evidence.  The  witness 
gives  his  testimony  with  vividness  and  power  be- 
cause he  tells  what  he  has  seen  with  his  own  eyes, 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  83 

and  heard  with  his  own  ears.  But  the  retailer  of 
hearsay  testimony  has  no  power.  In  the  pulpit  he 
is  perfect  weakness.  He  may  have  been,  at  one 
time,  a  true  witness.  But  now  the  form  of  sound 
words,  which  once  quivered  and  glowed  and  burned 
with  vitality,  is  as  if  dead.  His  views  of  doctrine 
and  duty  are  now  vague  and  bereft  of  power  even 
over  his  own  spirit. 

Let  such  a  man  become  once  more  a  living  wit- 
ness, and  how  great  the  change!  Baptize  with  a 
new  experience  of  heavenly  power  his  long  cold 
heart;  and  he  begins  to  testify  for  Christ!  The 
Divine  spark  flashes  into  the  well-nigh  extin- 
guished coal;  and  where  but  lately  was  the  black- 
ness of  darkness,  there  now  leaps  forth  the  flame 
of  living  light.  That  light  comes  out  because  it 
first  went  in !  Now  he  not  only  possesses  the  truth, 
but  the  truth  also  possesses  him !  He  is  no  longer 
teUing  a  story,  but  bearing  witness!  He  is  no 
longer,  with  eyes  never  so  keen,  and  blade  never 
so  sharp,  dissecting  a  cold  stiff  body  of  divinity; 
he  is  himself  that  body  of  divinity;  and  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  made  it  His  sacred  temple,  the  scene  of 
holy  activities,  and  the  throne  of  royal  sovereign 
power ! 

The  whole  system  of  truth  takes  on  a  new  aspect 
to  one  thus  endowed  with  power  from  on  High. 
He  can  now  testify  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world;  for,  with  Paul  on  yon 
Damascus  road,  he  has  seen  Him  in  the  glory  of 


84  SERMON  BUILDING 

the    opened   heavens!      Now    he    can   attest    the 
Fatherhood  of  God,  in  no  merely  indefinite  yearn- 
ings of  the  aspiring  mind,  but  in  the  living,  joyful 
spirit   of   adoption.      Conversion   is   no   mystic's 
dream  to  him,  who,  with  divine  persuading  and 
enabling,  has  turned  about  to  live  a  new  and  holy 
life.     The  vicissitudes  of  Christian  experience  are 
no  mere  theories  to  him,  but  solemn  realities.    He 
has  sounded  their  profoundest  depths,   and  can 
gratefully  testify,  *'He  brought  me  up  out  of  an 
horrible  pit,  out  of  the  miry  clay,  and  set  my  feet 
upon  a  rock,  and  established  my  goings;  and  He 
hath  put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth,  even  praise  unto 
our  God.'*     He  has  scaled  their  loftiest  heights; 
and,  striking  the  chords  of  assuring  song,  he  can 
say,  "Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  Thee ;  and  there 
is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  beside  Thee."  The 
joys  of  heaven  he  can  attest,  for  has  he  not  been 
lifted  up  to  behold  their  supernal  glories  ?  The  woes 
of  the  damned  he  can  proclaim,  whose  spirit  has 
felt,  in  the  bitterness  of  sin  and  the  pangs  of  re- 
morse, something  of  "the  worm  that  never  dies, 
and  the  fire  that  is  not  quenched." 

These  truths  are  living  realities  to  him,  as  on 
the  witness-stand  he  testifies  for  Christ.  It  was 
not  always  so.  It  may  be  but  yesterday  it  was  not 
so.  The  world  within  lay  silent  beneath  the  chill 
of  morn.  The  cold  gray  mist  of  night  enveloped, 
while  it  paralyzed  the  sleeping  life.  But  now  all 
nature  is  awake !    The  benumbing  vapor  has  once 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  85 

more  vanished  away !  All  is  life,  movement,  song, 
joy!  The  whole  hemisphere  vibrates  with  throb- 
bing glorious  light!  The  soul  now  lives!  The 
heart  believes!  The  witness  speaks!  The  power 
has  come! 

Another  requisite  of  testimony  is  that  it  should 
he  consistent.  It  must  stand  together  as  one  har- 
monious whole.  I  have  already  spoken  of  that 
subtle  counterfeit  of  earnestness  in  the  pulpit.  It 
is  found  also  in  the  life.  And  to  this  we  of  the 
ministry  are  particularly  exposed.  The  holy  duties, 
once  fittingly  allied  to  an  awakened  and  consecrated 
spirit,  we  still  perfunctorily  discharge.  But  who 
of  us  does  not  see  with  what  inadequate  conception 
and  purpose  we  take  them  up  ?  And  the  inconsist- 
ency of  our  testimony  is  apparent  and  offensive  to 
every  spiritual  mind.  How  much  more  must  it  be 
so  to  God. 

Our  words  must  be  enforced  by  our  characters, 
or  they  are  worthless.  Testimony  depends  for  its 
power  pre-eminently  upon  the  character.  Lord 
Bacon  says,  ''Testimony  is  like  an  arrow  from  the 
long-bow.  The  distance  to  which  it  flies  depends 
upon  the  arm  that  draws  the  bow.  But  argument 
is  like  an  arrow  from  the  cross-bow.  It  will  fly 
as  far  when  touched  by  an  infant's  finger,  as  when 
sprung  by  a  giant's.  And  the  distinction  is  as  im- 
portant as  the  illustration  is  happy.  A  good  argu- 
ment may  come  from  a  bad  man,  but  never  good 
testimony.    And  we  are  giving  testimony;  we  are 


86  SERMON  BUILDING 

witnesses !  Our  ministry  of  the  Word  is,  and  is  to 
be,  above  all  things  else,  a  testifying  for  Christ! 
Let  us  see  to  it  that  our  evidence  is  not  only  truth- 
ful, and  experimental,  but  also  in  all  things  consist- 
ent. 

How  just  and  reasonable  seems  this  standard  of 
ministerial  duty?  How  amazingly  difficult  the 
realization!  Where  shall  we  find  the  power  to 
fulfill  this  high  and  holy  service? 

Thus  instinctively  we  voice  the  final  question  of 
the  Problem  before  us  of  Spiritual  Power.  And 
the  answer  must  be  sought,  and  will  be  found,  only 
where  we  obtained  the  other  elements  of  the  great 
subject. 

The  heights  of  Bethany  resound  with  the  glori- 
ous promise.  The  Upper-Room  in  Jerusalem  dis- 
closes the  manner  of  its  fulfillment.  ''Ye  shall  re- 
ceive power  after  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon 
you."  Here  lies  the  secret  of  our  strength  as 
faithful  and  convincing  witnesses.  Here  also  is 
the  region  surely  of  the  mysterious  and  inexpli- 
cable. What  is  meant  by  *'the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Spirit." 

If  this  promise  is  for  us  as  for  the  primitive  be- 
lievers, are  we  to  expect  its  fulfillment  in  the  same 
way?  Many  say,  Yes:  and  therefore  they  pray 
continually  for  jthe  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Others  would  not  exactly  say.  No ;  who  yet  regard 
this  language  as  improper.  They  say  that  all  our 
ideas  about  the  pouring  out  of  the  Spirit  are  Old 
Testament  ideas,  that  they  are  found  in  the  prophe- 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  87 

cles  that  point  especially  to  Pentecost,  that  then  the 
Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  as  never  before  nor 
since,  the  ascension  gift  of  our  glorified  Redeemer, 
then  given,  once  for  all,  to  His  blood-bought 
Church.  The  Holy  Spirit  is,  therefore,  now  with 
and  in  the  Church  (not  with  a  hierarchy,  nor  in 
any  such  sense  as  to  imply  nor  logically  require  in- 
fallibility, as  in  the  Papal  idea,  but  nevertheless), 
in  a  real  and  true  and  precious  sense ;  and  there  is 
no  need  that  He  should  be  poured  out  upon  the 
people  of  God  again. 

It  is  thought  that  this  view  is  sustained  by  the 
words  of  the  Evangelist,  'This  spake  He  of  the 
Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on  Him  should  re- 
ceive; for  the  Holy  Spirit  was  not  yet  given,  be- 
cause that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified."  This  view 
seems  to  be  supported  also  by  the  language  of  our 
Lord  Himself,  'T  will  pray  the  Father,  and  He 
shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  He  may 
abide  with  you  forever.'' 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  said  that  the  undeniable 
facts  of  many  great  and  precious  revivals  of  re- 
ligion furnish  such  striking  and  even  marvelous 
resemblances  to  the  scences  of  Pentecost,  as  to 
justify  the  common  descriptions  of  them  as  out- 
pourings of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  is  further  said  that, 
while  the  Spirit  was  certainly  given  in  attestation 
of  our  Lord's  assumption  of  mediatorial  sov- 
ereignty, it  can  hardly  be  said  that  the  Spirit  was 
never  poured  out  upon  the  Old  Testament  Church, 
as,  for  example,  in  the  great  spiritual  awakenings 


88  SERMON  BUILDING 

and  reformations,  in  the  days  of  Hezekiah,  Josiah 
and  Ezra.  And  the  explanation  of  Pentecost,  on 
this  theory,  is  that  what  had  been  done  before,  was 
then  made  a  sign  of  new  and  more  blessed  truths, 
just  as  the  Rainbow  and  the  Sabbath,  previously 
existing  institutions  of  the  ante-deluvian  world, 
were  made  signs,  the  one  to  Noah,  and  the  other 
to  Israel. 

What  was  done  at  Pentecost,  had  been  often 
done  before  in  the  Church;  and  we  may  justly 
expect  that  it  will  be  done  again  and  again.  Com- 
pared with  what  preceded  it,  Pentecost  was  pecu- 
liar only  in  degree,  but  not  in  kind,  save  as  to  the 
gift  of  tongues.  Instead  of  believing,  therefore, 
that  it  was  such  a  day  as  had  never  been  seen 
before  and  never,  in  all  the  coming  triumphs  of 
the  Church  of  God  down  the  ages,  will  be  seen 
again,  we  ought  to  regard  it  as  the  model  day  of 
the  Christian  dispensation,  to  be  repeated  often, 
and  in  growing  power  from  age  to  age. 

These  two  views,  in  explanation  of  the  coming 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  thus  briefly  described,  seem- 
ingly widely  divergent,  are  practically  not  so  differ- 
ent after  all.  They,  who  pray,  in  Old  Testament 
terms,  for  the  out-pouring  of  the  Spirit,  believe 
that  He  abides  with  His  people  forever.  And 
they,  who  question  the  fitness  of  this  form  of 
prayer,  believe  in  and  rejoice  in  the  unusual  and 
manifest  tokens  of  the  Spirit's  power,  in  seasons 
of  gracious  quickening.  The  fact  of  the  Holy 
Spirit's  presence  and  grace  in  our  witnessing  for 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  89 

Christ,  we  know  beyond  a  doubt;  and  in  that  fact 
we  glory!  How  He  comes  we  cannot  know. 
Happy  they  who  know  what  it  is  to  testify  for 
Christ  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit.  They  need  no 
words  of  mine  to  show  them  what  it  is.  All 
others  could  not  understand  what  it  is,  with  all 
possible  explanation.  It  is  like  the  new  birth  it- 
self;  it  must  be  personally  experienced  to  be  fully 
known. 

The  practical  question,  to  which  all  this  dis- 
cussion has  been  leading  us,  yet  remains.  How 
shall  we  receive  this  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  so  obtain  this  Divine  endowment  of  Power? 
And  the  brief  but  weighty  answer  is.  As  did  the 
primitive  believers.  They  were  told  to  tarry  in 
Jerusalem  until  the  Spirit  and  the  power  came. 
And  they  "with  one  accord"  went  into  that  upper 
room  to  pray.  Why  did  they  pray?  For  what 
did  they  pray  ? 

Here  we  come  to  the  innermost  shrine  and  sanc- 
tuary of  the  minister's  power.  Let  us  approach 
it  with  reverence.  None  of  us  can  have  failed  to 
notice  the  extreme  reticence  of  Luke  as  to  the 
particular  occurrences  of  those  ten  days.  They 
filled  the  traitor's  place ;  and  this  fact  the  historian 
records.  But  this  business  did  not  surely  occupy 
more  than  one  session  of  the  assembly.  And  as 
to  all  else  the  annalist  is  silent.  Was  it  because 
the  scenes  of  that  waiting  time  were  indescribable? 

Let  us  reverently  imagine  some  of  the  probable 
characteristics  of  the  series  of  daily  assemblages. 


90  SERMON  BXnLDING 

Were  they  sitting  in  gaping  expectancy  of  the 
Spirit's  visible  advent?  This  is  to  exalt  the  merely 
phenomenal  to  a  place,  which,  it  seems  to  me,  it 
was  never  intended  to  occupy.  It  was  pre-emi- 
nently the  Spirit's  day  and  power.  On  any  theory, 
Pentecost  was  the  inaguration  of  the  Spirit's  dis- 
pensation. Can  we  doubt  that  it  was  for  Him 
they  were  praying?  Can  we,  who  believe  that  all 
true  prayer  is  indited  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  can  we 
doubt  that  He  was  present  to  inspire  their  prayers 
days  before  those  fiery  flames  and  cloven  tongues 
were  seen?  Is  it  any  adequate  view  of  Pentecost 
that  separates  the  last  day  from  all  the  preceding 
days,  that  preceding  nine,  and  says  the  Spirit  did 
not  come  until  that  tenth  and  phenomenal  day. 
Can  we  for  a  moment  doubt  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
wrought  powerfully  in  all  their  hearts,  as  He  has 
always  done  when  He  visits  Zion  with  His  gracious 
influences. 

There  was,  then,  in  that  upper  room,  we  may 
well  believe,  the  profoundest  abasement  on  account 
of  sin.  Here  were  the  very  scenes  of  their  sins, 
especially  the  sins  of  the  apostles.  Perhaps  in  this 
very  room  they  had  striven  for  the  place  of  honor, 
while  their  Master  girded  as  a  slave  performed 
his  servile  work.  Here  in  the  city  was  the  hall 
where  Peter  had  denied  that  Lord,  now  glorified. 
Yonder  was  the  garden,  where  all  of  them  had 
slept  in  the  hour  of  their  Redeemer's  agony,  and 
where  all  forsook  Him  and  left  Him  alone.    Well 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  91 

chosen  was  this  place  for  bringing  sin  to  their 
remembrance ! 

Can  we  doubt  that  the  Divine  Spirit  wrought  in 
them  the  deepest  humiliation,  searching  them  and 
troubling  them,  until  with  broken  hearts  they  cried 
anew  for  mercy.  Was  there  ever  before  or  since 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  a  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
not  marked  by  such  searching  and  humbling  views 
of  sin?  And  can  we  believe  that  He  wrought 
differently  upon  His  inauguration  day? 

But  that  spirit  was  also  to  testify  of  Christ.  And 
we  may  well  believe  that  here  the  crucified  Saviour 
was  brought  most  vividly  before  that  bowed  and 
supplicating  multitude.  Here  was  the  room  of  the 
last  Supper,  and  of  the  Holy  Supper,  with  all  its 
tender  memories  of  the  Man  of  Sorrows,  going 
down  into  the  awful  shadows  for  them.  Here 
too,  we  must  believe  the  eye  of  faith  was  lifted 
up  to  Calvary,  for  Calvary  was  here.  And  in  the 
dawning  light  of  the  Spirit^s  day  the  Cross  of 
Christ  must  have  risen  before  them  with  a  meaning 
and  a  power  never  seen  by  them  before. 

So  they  were  searched  and  humbled;  then  lifted 
up  and  comforted.  Then,  as  they  waited  with 
lowly  and  believing  hearts,  united  and  expectant, 
looking,  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  not  up  to  the 
heavens,  but  to  Calvary,  there  dawned  the  ever- 
memorable  morning  of  the  tenth  and  Pentecostal 
day.  And  then  with  the  rushing  wind  the  Spirit 
came.  Had  He  not  come  before  ?  Most  certainly ! 
He  had  already  indued  with  heavenly  power  and 


92  SERMON  BUILDING 

grace  the  souls  of  His  believing  and  praying  people. 
But  now  He  comes  to  crown  His  work,  and  as  a 
sign  of  convicting  power  to  unbelieving  men !  And 
so  we  read,  ''When  this  was  noised  abroad,  the 
multitude  came  together."  As  is  frequently  the 
case  with  visitations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  work 
was  far  advanced  among  the  saints,  before  the 
profane  and  careless  world  was  arrested  and  at- 
tracted by  the  marvelous  sight. 

Here,  then,  we  find  our  answer  to  the  problem 
of  Spiritual  Power,  not  on  that  last  and  crowning 
day  of  Pentecostal  miracles.  The  servants  of  the 
Lord,  already  indued  with  power,  were  only  wait- 
ing then  to  be  led  forth  in  conquering  train  against 
the  adversaries  of  their  exalted  King.  But  we  find 
it  in  those  searched  and  humble  hearts,  and  in  the 
earnest,  united  and  believing  prayers  of  those  pre- 
ceding days  of  solemn,  quiet  and  expectant  wait- 
ing upon  God.  Can  we  longer  wonder  that  they 
soon  went  forth  with  sharpened  sickles  to  cut  in 
every  land  the  grandest  harvest  the  world  ever 
saw? 

To  such  a  work,  of  surpassing  value,  and  honor, 
you  are  called,  my  brethren.  Like  them  of  old, 
some  of  you  have  been  sitting  for  three  years  at 
the  Master's  feet,  and  in  the  class-rooms  of  His 
servants.  And  in  a  little  while  you  will  all  be 
separated  laborers  in  the  field,  alone,  and  yet  no 
more  alone.  Is  it  too  much  to  ask  of  you  to  seek 
now  a  similar  endowment  of  power?  A  revival 
of  religion  in  a  Theological  Seminary  might  seem 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  93 

strange  to  the  unthinking  world;  but  nowhere  is 
spiritual  quickening  more  needed,  nowhere  would 
it  be  more  fruitful.  Well  do  I  remember  one  more 
than  half  a  century  ago,  the  echoes  of  which  are 
to  this  day  still  sounding  round  the  world. 
Throughout  our  country,  and  in  India,  China  and 
Japan,  are  to  be  met  the  gracious  influences  of  that 
solemn  season;  and  even  "the  grave-dotted 
strands"  of  the  "dark  continent"  attest  the  devo- 
tion, which  that  day  received  its  mightiest  mis- 
sionary impulse. 

The  times  are  ripe  for  harvest  laborers;  and 
such  you  are  summoned  to  be.  One  such  I  now 
recall,  the  father  of  our  lamented  and  accom- 
plished Mary  Allen,  who  used  to  lay  his  hand  upon 
my  boyish  head,  and  express  the  hope  that  I  might 
serve  God  in  the  ministry.  Long  years  of  seeding 
time  were  his;  but  the  glorious  harvest  came  at 
last.  I  would  rather  have  for  my  portion  the 
toiling  ministry  of  Charles  K.  Thomson  among 
the  weaker  churches  of  western  and  southern 
Indiana,  crowned  by  the  five  years  of  singularly 
rich  ingathering  with  which  that  ministry  closed 
than  wear  the  coronets  of  kings ! 

But  whether  the  reaping  time  come  soon  or  late, 
you  need,  must  have,  this  spiritual  power.  Only 
so  will  you  have  a  burning  love  for  souls.  And 
no  young  minister  is  ever  likely  to  be  very  useful 
in  this  holy  calling,  who  does  not  possess  an  un- 
quenchable thirst  for  the  conversion  of  men.  In 
later  years  his  ministry  may  find  fitting  and  largely 


94  SERMON  BUILDING 

sufficient  scope  in  the  edifying  of  Christian  people; 
but  his  earUer  work  must  be  characterized  by  an 
unappeasable  longing  and  labor  for  conversions. 
The  philosophy  of  this  has  been  already  probably 
indicated.  The  minister  must  be  a  witness.  He 
must  testify.  But  the  change  from  death  to  life, 
from  darkness  to  light,  is  as  yet  the  young  am- 
bassador's chief  experience.  The  vicissitudes  of 
the  Christian  life,  its  decays  and  revivals,  its 
anomalies  and  perplexities,  are  yet  to  him,  much 
as  he  may  think  he  knows  them,  largely  an  un- 
explored country.  It  is  Vinet,  I  believe,  who 
wisely  says  ^'Experience  must  be  left  to  the  preach- 
ing of  older  ministers."  But  even  the  beginner 
must  speak  that  which  he  knows,  and  testify  what 
he  has  seen.  His  first  message  must  be  proclaimed 
under  the  pressure  of  the  adjuration,  "Ye  are  my 
witnesses."  The  conversion  of  men,  therefore, 
will  be  naturally,  may  I  not  add,  necessarily,  the 
chief,  though  not  exclusive,  object  of  your  earlier 
ministry. 

And  this  love  for  the  impenitent  and  perishing 
will  bring  in  its  train  a  multitude  of  personal 
advantages,  and  save  you  from  the  snares  peculiar 
to  a  cold  heart  and  an  unconsecrated  life.  One, 
whose  character  and  ministry  give  him  a  right  to 
speak,  truthfully  and  forcibly  says,  "Devotion  to 
this  supreme  work  of  saving  men  will  not  contract, 
but  enlarge  and  complete  the  pastor.  It  will  de- 
velop socialness,  intimate  and  accurate  knowledge 
of  men,  faithful  pastoral  work,  direct,  forceful, 


SPIRITUAL  POWER  95 

omnipotent  preaching,  presentation  of  the  whole 
truth,  law  and  Gospel,  love  and  wrath,  mercy  and 
judgment,  eternal  life  and  eternal  death.  In  his 
travail  of  soul  for  the  lost,  he  will  come  into  the 
fullest  sympathy  of  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ, 
and  of  the  truths  that  revolve  around  the  cross 
and  its  Infinite  Sacrifice.  There  will  be  unity, 
concentration,  enthusiasm,  and  persistence  in  his 
ministry." 

With  such  a  burning  love  for  souls,  and  desire  for 
their  conversion,  you  will  not  be  greatly  troubled 
about  the  choice  of  a  field  of  labor.  Under  the 
burden  of  such  a  feeling,  and  with  the  Divine 
leading,  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  following 
the  advice  of  old  Dr.  Plumer,  of  blessed  memory, 
who  used  to  say  to  us,  'There  is  one  safe  rule  to 
follow,  young  gentlemen,  when  you  have  a  choice 
of  fields,  and  that  is.  Go  always  where  there  is 
the  most  devil."  With  such  love  for  souls  you  will 
never  write,  as  a  young  minister  once  wrote  to  me, 
giving  this  as  one  of  the  reasons  for  desiring  to 
leave  his  church:  "It  affords  me  no  field  where  I 
can  develop  my  powers  as  I  would  like  to  do." 
Longing  for  the  salvation  of  men,  you  will  give 
your  energies  to  the  development  of  your  field;  and 
God  will  attend  to  the  proper  development  of  your 
powers ! 

It  is  my  profoundest  conviction  that,  in  this  day 
of  just  demand  for  a  ministry  more  able  in  mental 
endowments,  and  better  furnished  with  all  needful 
knowledge,  the  call  for  a  higher  standard  of  min- 


96  SERMON  BUILDING 

isterlal  consecration  is  infinitely  more  imperative! 
In  the  greater  spiritual  power  of  God's  ministering 
servants,  is  to  be  found  the  best  safe-guard  the 
Church  can  have  against  the  insidiously  growing 
worldliness  of  the  professing  people  of  God, 
against  the  aggressions  of  an  ungodly  and  spurious 
science,  and  against  the  paralysis  of  an  undevo- 
tional  and  irreligious  criticism.  In  this  spiritual 
power  of  her  ministers  the  Church  shall  find  hope 
for  the  unfaltering  proclamation  of  the  cardinal 
truths  of  our  holy  faith,  the  speedy  prevalence  of 
genuine  and  mighty  revivals  throughout  both  this 
country  and  other  countries,  and  her  final  and  as- 
sured triumph  over  all  her  foes. 

May  God  give  to  you,  my  brethren,  and  to  all 
His  ministering  servants,  true  and  commanding 
Spiritual  Power!    Amen! 

I  thank  you,  brethren,  for  the  kind  and  patient  attention 
you  have  given  to  these  "FamiHar  Talks  on  Sermon  Build- 
ing." I  trust  you  will  find  them  helpful  to  you  in  preparing 
for  the  most  blessed  work  ever  committed  to  mortal  man, 
the  glorious  work  of  preaching  the  glorious  Gospel  of  the 
blessed  Son  of  God.  In  this  day  of  abundant  homiletical 
aids  I  can  hardly  hope  to  have  said  anything  especially  new 
or  original.  I  can  only  say  the  considerations  I  have  been 
able  to  present  to  you  have  been  wrought  out  in  my  own 
ministry,  a  long  and  happy,  and  I  trust  useful  ministry  of 
more  than  fifty  years.  I  pray  God  that  you  may  have  a  like 
blessed  and  useful  service  of  our  most  gracious  Master, 
who  sends  you  forth  into  the  great  harvest  field,  and  who 
will,  with  sympathetic  expectation,  await  your  return,  bring- 
ing your  sheaves  with  you. 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


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